Finding Your Magic
by Saywhaaaat518
Summary: This is the third installment of The Lion's Daughter Series. It takes place during Voyage of the Dawn Treader, and it's set in both the book and the movieverse, so just a little warning there.
1. Chapter 1

_**Disclaimer:**__ Chronicles of Narnia belongs to C.S. Lewis, and Walden Media, Twentieth Century Fox Films, and Fox 2000 Pictures. I do not own any of it, though I very strongly wish that I did. _

Airies was sitting in her room at the Telmarine Palace, staring up at a sword that hung directly over the fire place. It belonged to High King Peter, one of Narnia's greatest leaders.

She did not understand why Aslan insisted on having her keep it in here. She could remember him saying that it had something to do with the fact that it would help make it easier to accept that Peter would not be returning to Narnia any time soon, and in turn would help her move on. But she didn't understand it. How could he expect her to move on?

The day Peter got sent away was one that kept replaying over and over in her mind. She could remember every detail, how could she not? The most important person in her life was taken away from her, and instead of trying to think of all of the good memories to help remain strong, she thought of that day, and only of that day.

_After the assembly, she was sitting in the grass courtyard where she had spent the night with Peter. Only Peter wasn't here now, he was back in England, where Aslan said he belonged. _

_Said lion walked over to her and sat down next to her, but Airies, being the stubborn child that she was, got up and moved away from him._

"_Daughter," he sighed._

"_How could you do that?" she cried, "How could you send him away? You know how I feel about him, how he feels about me! And you still send him away! Why?" she shouted at him._

"_My daughter, Peter does not live here. He belongs in England. He was brought here to ready himself for the real world, to learn to believe in things," Aslan tried to explain. _

"_He belongs here, father, in Narnia, with me, reigning as High King. He should be here right now, and we could be together, but you sent him away!" she yelled accusingly, and surprisingly, Aslan didn't fight her, or roar menacingly like he would if it were any other person. She was the only one in Narnia who was allowed to speak to him like that. _

_She once again turned her back to him, crossing her arms tight over her chest. But Aslan didn't back down. He moved next to her again and said, "It is hard now, I know, but you will soon understand. It is not forever that he will be gone. When Narnia is reborn, Peter shall be here."_

_With a gentle nudge to her shoulder, Aslan disappeared._

That day had been three years ago Narnian time, but Airies could still feel Peter's arms around her, could still feel the touch of his lips on hers as they kissed for the last time.

Every day she missed him, but she was beginning to cope with it. The hurt was just there now, residing in her heart, and it would always be there. She understood that now.

There was a knock on the door, disrupting her from her somber thoughts. She didn't say anything in reply to the knock, but the door opened anyway, and Caspian walked inside.

"Everything is ready," he told her quietly.

She nodded as he came over to the bed and sat down next to her. Together they stared up at Peter's sword, silent.

"Are you sure you would not rather stay?" he asked her.

"And let you take this voyage alone? I don't think so," she answered, giving him a smile, which he was sad to see did not fully reach her eyes.

Caspian looked back to the sword, the cursed thing, how powerful it was, yet at the same time bringing with it terrible memories and feelings of longing that would never be fulfilled.

"Are you taking it?" he questioned quietly.

"Yes, along with Lucy's cordial, and Susan's bow and horn. He gave it to you, Caspian, so you need to keep it with you on this trip, just like you took it with you when you made peace all over Narnia," she told him.

"Whenever you are ready then, Highness," he said before standing up.

He made to move away from her, but she called out his name.

He turned around at looked at the girl in front of him, the girl who used to be so strong, but was now so broken, and small.

"Thank you for putting up with me for the past three years. You're the only one who really understands and lets me sulk," she said.

And understand he did, for Caspian had lost the one he loved too, and Airies had never forgotten that. They were able to comfort each other in times like these when all they could do was think about their lost loves.

Without saying anything, Caspian offered Airies his hand and a smile to go along with it, and she took both, letting him pull her to her feet.

"This voyage will do you good. And we have each other, and together we will stay strong," he told her.

He let her take High King Peter's sword down from the wall before taking her hand again and leading her out of this retched room to take a voyage that would hopefully end in all sorts of fortunes for them.

Edmund and Lucy Pevencie were staying at their cousin Eustace Scrubb's house for the summer holiday. Their parents and older sister Susan had taken a trip to America, and Peter was staying with Professor Kirke, studying with him. But seeing as Professor Kirke's house was too small for all of them to stay in, other arrangements had to be made for the two youngest Pevencie children.

Edmund would have thought that the stay would be okay, had it not been for the fact that Eustace insisted on acting like an annoying little git at all times.

This was the first moment he'd had alone all summer, and he was spending it by looking at one of his drawings.

After they had returned back to England from Narnia a second time, Edmund had taken up drawing as a hobby, and he was quite good at it to say the least. Mostly, he drew things from Narnia, since those were the most vivid images in his head, and he wanted to preserve his memories there forever.

Right now he was staring down at one of his first drawings that he had done when he got home. It was of Airies, the Daughter of Aslan, of whom he had fallen in love with. She was beautiful, in every way, shape and form, and his drawing, no matter how good it may be, did not do her beauty justice.

But it was all he had. He didn't know when he would see her again, or how long he would have to wait. Last time it was a year. He hoped Aslan wouldn't make him wait that long again.

Edmund was too busy staring at his drawing that he hadn't noticed Eustace step into the room until the boy said, "Who is that ugly beast?"

Eustace had been standing over Edmund's shoulder, staring at the picture for as long as Edmund had been. He actually thought the drawing was very good, but of course he would never admit that to his cousin.

"You'd better take that back," Edmund growled.

"Or what? You'll slug me?" Eustace mocked.

"Yeah, I think that will do you some good."

Eustace quickly snatched the picture out of Edmund's grasp and moved away from him.

"Give that back!" Edmund shouted, but he was not quick enough.

Eustace had already ripped the drawing in half, then again, and again, until tiny scraps of the drawing were silently floating down to the floor.

Edmund stared at the ripped to shreds paper until he looked up at Eustace, and if looks could kill, Eustace would most certainly be dead.

"Get out. NOW!" Edmund said darkly, and Eustace did not dare disobey. He ran out of the room in a flash, and he wasn't going to come back, not for a while.

Once he was gone, Edmund sunk down to his knees and scooped up the tiny pieces.

"Airies," he moaned in sorrow, covering his face with his hands and nearly weeping with the pain of being taken away from Narnia yet again.

_**Author's Note:**__ Well, after a short amount of time, I present you with the first chapter of the next story in my Chronicles of Narnia series. I hope you all enjoy it just as much as I did writing it. Please let me know exactly what you think! And thank you, thank you for reading :)_


	2. Chapter 2

The Dawn Treader, the ship that was taking Caspian and Airies on their voyage, had made port in Galma, and had been there for a few days. The people here were nice, and made the Narnian voyagers feel as welcome as possible. The Duke of Galma was even making plans for a great tournament in honor of the Narnian soldiers, and of course they would take place in it. They needed to prove that the King and his men were still the best.

And the ones that were doing the proving were going to be Airies, Caspian, Tavros the Minotaur, and Rhynelf one of the sailors.

As Airies was putting on her Narnian mail, Caspian came over to her.

"You'll win this for me, I suppose?" he said with a smile.

Airies laughed. "Only if you can't do it yourself," she answered.

"May the Narnian colors show true today," Caspian said to them all as he led them down to the town square.

The Duke of Galma met them at once as soon as they entered into the fighting circle and handed each of them a card with a certain animal on it.

"This is your match. You shall find your partner with an identical card. Each round you pass, you will receive a new card, at which you will have to find your new partner. Should it come down to the end, and there are two Narnians and two Galmans left standing, the four of you shall fight, with only one weapon per team. Good luck."

Airies looked down at her card. It was red, with a gold lion facing her. _'Of course,'_ she thought with a smile.

"Of course you land the lion. What do I land? The crane. Bet I get some shrimpy knight with a long neck," Caspian whispered with a chuckle.

Airies laughed and raised her fist towards him. Caspian did the same before they split up and went over to their sides of the circle.

As she walked to the opposite side, Airies took note of what they would have to be battling around. There were fences of wood and wire all around the circle. Clubs were scattered over the ground.

She found her partner and gaped up at him. This man was huge. He had to be part giant. She shook her head and looked around until her eyes connected with Caspian's. He was laughing at her. She smirked and shook her head again before looking back at her opponent. He was glaring at her, trying to intimidate her, but it would not work. She was not easily intimidated. She put her hands on her waist and just smirked at him. She seemed to be smirking a lot lately.

The fences were finally closed around them. They would each be fighting in their own little area. And Airies was lucky enough to land the barbed wire fences. '_Perfect,'_ she thought sarcastically.

"Let the match begin!" The Duke shouted.

Airies pulled out her sword. She waited for her opponent to make the first move, but he did not, so with a scream she charged at him. He did not move until she was right in front of him, and he was flinging out his arm with his own sword and blocking the blow.

His sword crashed against hers, the metal clanking together. Her hand was shaking so hard from trying to keep his sword away. She grabbed onto it with her other hand and looked up at the giant. He growled before kicking her in the stomach.

Airies flew into the air, landing just short of the wire fence. She groaned and looked up. The giant was coming at her, and her sword rested on the ground behind him. She just needed to get over there.

She waited until he was right on top of her to act. She swung her legs around his ankles, pulling him to the ground. He crashed down in front of her, and she pushed up with her arms and flew over him.

She grabbed her sword and spun around just in time to meet him again. They circled each other, their swords moving like the speed of light. But it was all part of her plan; Airies was just trying to tire him out.

He aimed another kick at her, but this time she knew it was coming and ducked underneath him. She climbed up onto one of the wooden fences and as he turned around to meet her again, she jumped. Her sword came down on his head, knocking him to the ground, unconscious.

Airies doubled over, panting, as the Duke announced the end of Round One. So far, Narnia was victorious.

The second and third rounds went by in a blur for all of them. These opponents were far easier than their first ones.

When the fourth and final round came, it was left for Airies and Caspian to fight against two Galmans.

Caspian and Airies stood next to each other during their five minute respite.

"What are our chances?" he questioned.

"High, if we use this sword," she told him, pointing to Peter's sword sitting in its hilt on Caspian's waist, and Caspian nodded in response, a knowing look in his eye.

"We should be set, as long as they don't step on us," Caspian joked, eyeing their opponents: two more giants.

"Since when did you become so funny?" Airies asked sarcastically.

"All thanks to you love. For Narnia, right?" he said while handing her the sword.

"Let the match begin!"

Airies nodded and whispered, "For Narnia."

Airies held the sword at ready, as Caspian stood ready to punch or kick whatever he had to. The two giants walked slowly towards him, tall and menacing.

The fight went by in a blur of swords and punches. Soon later, they were pausing for another five minute respite.

Airies and Caspian were bruised and tired, but they were far better off than the giants. Caspian was the last to have the sword, seeing as they had been passing it back and forth throughout the match.

"I'll finish them off," Airies panted.

"You know what you're doing?" he asked trustingly.

Airies just nodded and moved her right hand to her left hip.

"I'll go first and then you follow," Caspian told her, understanding.

He quickly grasped her hand as the Duke told them to begin again.

Caspian ran at the giants with Peter's sword, feeling the magic of it rush throughout his body. He was vaguely aware of Airies following him as he slashed through the side of one of the Galmans, and he let the other go straight passed him, heading for Airies.

Caspian spun around to watch the fight. The giant got a few feet away from her, and in a flash Airies whipped out her wand from under her mail and threw it straight out. A jet of blue light sent the Galman flying backwards. He hit his head against a wooden post and slumped against the wall.

The crowd went crazy with applause. Caspian sprinted over to Airies and lifted her up into the air, spinning her around. The other Narnian fighters surrounded her, cheering for her.

"NARNIA WINS!" the Duke announced, before rushing down to them.

"King Caspian, congratulations. I see that Narnia is still as skilled at combat as they ever have been. Those were some of my best men. As a reward for my victory, I offer you my beautiful daughter," the Duke said before pointing up to his daughter up in the stands.

She was squinting down at them, with red hair in long braids and a freckly face.

Caspian glanced towards Airies before turning back to the Duke.

"Your High Duke, I thank you for your hospitality and allowing me and my crew to settle here, and for the chance that you have given Narnia to perform against your best men. But I have to apologize for the fact that I cannot accept your offer," he told him.

The Duke was silent for a moment before shaking Caspian's hand. "No matter, have a safe voyage. And long live the Narnian king!"

The crowd cheered again as the Narnians boarded their ship.

Once aboard the ship, Caspian found any way that he could to avoid Airies questions about the Duke's offer. They hit a calm for two days. There was no wind, so they had to row until the wind picked up again. It took them four days to arrive in Terebinthia. However, their king sent out warning not to make port due to sickness that plagued their land.

So it wasn't until three days later that Airies got her chance to interrogate Caspian. He needed to find a Queen. That was the perfect opportunity.

She was leaning over the rail of the ship, looking out over the waves, thinking, as she always was, of Peter, and her growing relationship with Caspian, which she couldn't deny any longer.

They both were starting to grow rather fond of each other, despite the fact that they both knew that they could never feel for each other what they felt for the ones who truly had their hearts.

Caspian walked over to her then, interrupting her thoughts as he leaned against the rail beside her.

"So, tell me, why did you deny the Duke's daughter?" she questioned before he could run away.

Caspian chuckled. "Squints and has freckles," he answered.

"Are you sure it did not have something to do with a certain Susan Pevensie?" Airies laughed.

"No, on the contrary, I'd say it has more to do with a certain daughter of Aslan," he said before taking her hand and spinning her around, swaying her to an imaginary tune.

Airies threw her head back and laughed, feeling very at ease with Caspian's attempt at dancing with her.

"I told you this voyage would do you good. You're looking happier already," he pointed out.

Airies smiled and said, "Maybe it has less to do with the voyage, and more to do with a certain king who is on the voyage with me."

Now it was Caspian's turn to laugh.

They stared into each other's eyes for a few silent moments before Caspian slowly starting moving his head down towards hers. He went slow enough to give her time to move away from him if she chose to do so, but she did not. She stayed frozen in front of him, and just as his lips were mere millimeters away from hers… an arrow went whizzing over their heads.

Caspian moved away from Airies and groaned. "Why is it that anytime we are about to have a sentimental moment, we are always interrupted by someone who wants to kill us!" he cried while looking around.

A Terebinthian pirate ship was floating on the starboard side of the Dawn Treader.

"All hands on deck!" Caspian bellowed the order as he and Airies rushed to get their own bows and arrows.

More arrows from the pirates were being shot at them as the crew all came above deck.

Airies ducked to avoid an oncoming arrow, and as she did so she shot one of her own and it lodged in one of the pirates arms. Caspian also shot an arrow and it hit another pirate.

The boat then sailed away, clearly frightened by the aim of the Narnians, and the shipmates cheered in victory.

* * *

_**Author's Note:**__ Here is the second chapter. I decided that since it is Christmas Eve, I would post two chapters in one day as a little present. I hope you like it, and as always review and let me know what you think._

_Also, the part during the match about the cards, and how they would be paired with an opponent using the cards, I took that from a movie, and I cannot remember for the life of me what movie it was. I really want to say it's from a Knight's Tale, but I just can't be sure. But I wanted to let you guys know that that was not fully my idea._

_But anyway, thank youuuuuu for reading :)_


	3. Chapter 3

Edmund and Lucy were sitting in Lucy's bedroom, staring up at a painting of a ship whose prow was shaped like the head of a dragon, its mouth wide open.

"Who do you think would be on the ship?" Edmund asked his sister.

"All of our dear friends. Caspian, of course, and Airies, she's one of the best sailors out there," Lucy answered.

"She's the best at everything she does," Edmund whispered, his eyes growing distant and his expression turning sad.

"Oh no, Ed, I'm sorry, I didn't mean-"

"The question is," Edmund interrupted, his face turning to stone once more, "whether it doesn't make things worse looking at a Narnian ship when you can't get there."

"Even looking is better than nothing. And she is such a beautiful Narnian ship," Lucy told him earnestly.

"Still playing your old game?" an evil little voice laughed.

"You're not wanted here," Edmund told his cousin curtly.

"Well that's too bad, because I'm trying to think of a limerick. So far I have this:

_Some kids who played games about Narnia_

_Got gradually balmier and balmier-_"

"Well, Narnia and balmier don't rhyme," Lucy pointed out.

"It's an assonance," Eustace told her, sounding smart.

"Lucy, don't ask him what any assy-thingummy is. He's just longing to be asked to prove that he's all smart. Just ignore him, and maybe he'll go away," Edmund said cruelly.

Ever since Eustace ripped his drawing of Airies, Edmund harbored even more ill feelings towards his idiot cousin.

However, Eustace didn't listen to him and he stepped deeper into the room. "What are you drawing now, Edmund? Not another awful drawing of that hideous beast of a woman, are you?" he laughed.

"Stay away from my drawings if you know what's best for you," Edmund threatened, sounding much like the king that he truly was.

He was actually working on perfecting the Narnian ship. He felt that the painting hanging in Lucy's bedroom did not do the ship justice in the slightest way.

"Lucy, could you sit up a little straighter please?" Edmund asked his sister nicely, and she smiled and nodded.

She loved when her brother drew her into his Narnian pictures, and today he was adding her onto the Narnian ship. His drawings were getting better and better. She believed that he really had a talent for drawing.

"Ed, are you almost finished? I'm dying to see," she exclaimed.

"If you stop fussing around maybe I'd finish sooner," he laughed.

"Do you like that picture?" Eustace asked Lucy.

Edmund slammed his pencil down onto his drawing and said, "For Heaven's sake, Lucy, don't answer. We don't want to get him started about art and all that," at the same time that Lucy said, "Yes, I do. I like it very much."

Edmund rolled his eyes and muttered something that Lucy determined to be, "Why do you have to be so nice?" as he got back to his drawing.

That was a big problem with her; she could never find it in her heart to be rude or mean the way that her brothers could, or even the way that Susan could. Susan even brought a little beauty into her rudeness, the way that she brought her beauty into everything that she did.

"It's a rotten picture," Eustace said with disgust.

"You know, if you just step outside and shut the door, you won't be able to see it," Edmund said without looking up from his drawing.

"Why do you like it?" Eustace asked Lucy, ignoring his older cousin.

"Well, for one thing, it looks as if the ship were really moving, and the water looks as if it were really wet, and the waves look as if they were really moving up and down," she answered.

Eustace was silent as he studied the painting. It really did look as if the ship and waves were moving. He moved closer to the painting, and was promptly hit with a wave.

Edmund stood up, letting his drawing pad drop to the floor.

"Edmund, you're drawings!" Lucy shouted as she dived to the ground, lifting up his drawing pad and shoving them into his waterproof case, which he quickly grabbed from her and placed it under his shirt.

The two siblings moved closer to the painting, and were promptly hit with another wave of cold water. Then another wave came after that, which dragged the three of them into the painting and into the icy cold water below.

The Narnian ship was getting ever closer to them, and they just managed to see a blur of white diving from the bow into the water. The stranger swam over to Lucy and helped her on board as Edmund grabbed hold of Eustace. Once on board, a warm blanket was wrapped over the three of their shoulders, making their shivering stop immediately.

Edmund looked around to find the person who gave him the blanket in order to thank them, but only saw a woman with long brown hair that was swept into a loose braid, wearing a blue tunic and black shorts, leaning over the railing of the ship, pulling up a man who looked very familiar; a man who had become a king, a man whom Edmund helped become king.

And as he looked closer, he realized that the woman was also someone who he recognized, someone whom he had fallen in love with.

"Airies?"

* * *

Airies awoke in her cabin, a tingling sensation spreading throughout her body. She flung herself out of bed, feeling magic that she could not account for flying around her. She quickly dressed into a pair of black shorts that she had cut from her own breeches, and a blue tunic. She then slipped on her boots before stashing her wand underneath her tunic and braiding her hair, letting it hang over her shoulder.

She walked out onto the deck, the magic still surrounding her, and leaned against the railing of the ship, looking out over the crystal clear water.

Then, something miraculous happened. The sky opened up into a square, from which Airies could see a bedroom. Out from the opening in the sky she watched as three people, two boys and a girl, plunged into the water, and started swimming towards the ship.

"Caspian!" Airies shouted, pointing out to the water.

Caspian was at her side in an instant. He saw what she was pointing at and dove off the ship and into the waves. Airies ran back into her cabin and grabbed blankets, on which she casted a heating charm.

When she came back on deck, the three strangers had been pulled on board, and were shivering with the cold from the water. She quickly wrapped the warm blankets around each of them. Two, one of the boys and the girl, looked very familiar from the back.

As she came in contact with the boy, a burning sensation traveled through her hands. She jumped back, unaware of what this could mean, but she had no time to ponder it, because Caspian was being pulled on board, and she rushed over to help him.

That's when she heard it; a heartbeat, slow at first, but then it sped up and she froze in place.

"Airies?"

Tears sprang to her eyes as she realized who this person was. Could it be?

"Edmund?" she whispered as she slowly turned around.

She raised her eyes and looked into the face of Edmund Pevencie, who looked shocked, but happy, which she was sure mirrored her expression exactly.

"It is you!" she cried while running into his arms.

He held her tight, taking in everything, never wanting to let her go.

"I've missed you so much," she whispered.

Edmund pulled back just enough to look into her eyes. "There's no need anymore. I'm here now," he told her with a smile.

* * *

_**Author's Note: **__Merry Christmas and happy holidays to everyone! So, I'm sorry that this chapter is a little bit short, but I promise the others are much longer. I hope that despite its shortness in length you all enjoy it, and that you have a great day with family and friends!_

_As always, thank you for reading :)_


	4. Chapter 4

Night fell over the Narnian waters, the stars and moon lighting up the sea, and casting light over the Dawn Treader. The shipmates, Caspian, Lucy, Edmund and Airies were all together on the bow, singing merrily and feasting like they had never feasted before.

Eustace, though he was asked many times by all of them, did not join them. He was sea sick, and in shock as to how he could have been pulled into such a journey. He never read fairy tales, so he had no idea that real magic even existed.

Caspian pulled Lucy to her feet and danced her around the deck in time to the sailors' music. Edmund followed suit and pulled Airies to her feet, spinning her around.

As they danced Edmund said, "It feels so good to be home."

Airies smiled at him and said, "I know exactly what you mean my king. Narnia does wonders with you. Within ten minutes of being here, you grew stronger," she told him, reminiscing on the duel that Edmund and Caspian had shared this morning.

And she was right. Already Edmund was feeling stronger than he ever had before. He had beaten Caspian at their duel, feeling very proud of himself afterwards. He was still a king here, despite his doubts.

The two stopped dancing and went to the opposite end of the deck, where it was quieter and more peaceful. They stood next to each other, leaning over the railing, and Edmund casually took Airies hand, lacing their fingers together. She smiled at him and rested her head against his shoulder.

"I've always loved the Narnian moon. It's much bigger and brighter than the one in England," he stated.

"Yes. It's the best I've ever seen," Airies agreed.

"And how many have you seen?" he questioned.

Airies laughed in response. "Many."

"Every time I see you I just find another mystery," Edmund said with a chuckle.

They were silent after that, until Airies asked the question that she had been brooding over for the past three years.

"How's… How's Peter?"

"He's, uh, he's sulking, upset and angry all the time. Kind of like last time. He's studying with Professor Kirke over the holiday. Airies, he's trying to find any way that he can to get back to you," Edmund told her.

Although truthfully, he hoped that Peter never found his way back to Narnia, back to Airies. But that was just him being selfish, and he knew it.

Edmund loved Airies, almost, if not as much, as Peter did. She had always stuck by him, even when he turned traitor against them. No matter what his decision, she was there for him.

She was both beautiful inside and out, and Edmund loved her every flaw, of which she did not have many, and her every perfection.

He stared at her now, watching the way the moonlight hit her eyes, her hair, the way it perfected her and made her seem almost unreachable, like she was just a dream, and he was just waiting to be woken up from it.

She was looking out over the water, her eyes distant and glimmering, when an idea struck into Edmund's mind.

He pulled his sketch pad out from underneath his tunic and flipped it open to a blank page, and then he proceeded to take out his pencil.

"Airies, I want you to stay frozen like that for just a few minutes, alright?" he asked her softly.

Airies nodded and froze. He wished he could keep her frozen in this moment forever, just so that she would always be his.

Edmund touched pencil to paper and began to draw. Drawing came easier to him now; it was almost like he didn't even have to try anymore. He sketched her, his eyes flicking up and down, trying to get everything about her captured on this simple piece of paper.

Airies stayed frozen, listening to the steady rhythm of Edmund's heartbeat. Her mind, of course, was on Peter, like it always was. She was thrilled to hear that he was trying to find a way to get back to her. Her heart just about soared with the thought. And, he was with Professor Kirke, who had gotten to Narnia with the magician so many years ago, so Peter had an even greater chance of figuring it out now.

"Finished," Edmund whispered, breaking her thoughts.

Airies unfroze and looked towards him. He was holding up his drawing, which was of herself. She took it in her hands, admiring Edmund's skill.

"Ed, this is more beautiful than I actually am. Well done. You're a true artist," she told him, but Edmund shook his head.

"No, the real thing is much more beautiful," he protested quietly.

Airies smiled and quickly kissed his cheek.

As she pulled away, Edmund froze in place.

"What is that? That beating noise?" he questioned, looking around wildly, his hand resting on the hilt of the sword that Caspian let him borrow.

Airies laughed softly and took his hand off of his hilt, and placed it against her chest, directly over her heart.

Edmund could feel her heart beating beneath his fingers, and it went in perfect time with the beating sound that he was hearing.

"I can hear you heart," he whispered, realization dawning on him.

"You've found your magic," Airies responded.

"How?"

"I've told you before that everyone has magic in them. Well, for some people, their magic comes out when they have found their talent, their one thing that they excel at above all others, which seems to be drawing for you. And since our magic was combined those many years ago, it allowed me to hear your heart and gave me a deeper connection to you, because I already had my magic. Now that you've found yours, you can hear my heart, and we are now even more connected," she explained to him.

Edmund was silent, enjoying the sound of her heart, which echoed his. "This is a beautiful sound," he said quietly, not wanting to break the magic surrounding them by being too loud.

He slowly moved his hand away from her chest, and traced his fingers up her neck, until his hand rested against her cheek.

"Airies," he sighed.

She heard his heart speed up. He was nervous.

"Ed, please, don't," she whispered, knowing exactly what was coming.

"I have to. I can't keep this to myself any longer. I've tried to keep these feelings at bay. I've tried to make them disappear. But it's like the harder I try, the stronger they become. Airies, I am in love with you. I have been since you rescued me from Jadis. I've known for over 1300 years here that you will be the only one who I will ever feel this way about, and I can't deny it any longer. I _won't_ deny it any longer," he told her.

"Ed, my heart belongs to Peter. He is the one that holds claim over it. You know this," she said quietly, avoiding his eyes.

"Airies, I do know this, and I also know that nothing I can do will change that. What you and my brother share is passionate, and real, and never ending, and I understand that. Airies, I would never even dream of asking you to choose between me and Peter. But what I am trying to tell you is that right here, right now, while we are on the Dawn Treader, I am here, and Peter is in England, and I love you, and I know that you are in love with Peter, and you will always be in love with Peter, but I also know that you care about me deeply, because I can hear your heart beating so quickly right now," he said in just about one breath.

Airies blushed and looked away.

"My heart always betrayed me, and you've known how I've truly felt for a long time, and I am going to kiss you in five seconds, and I will not be offended if you turn around and walk away," he told her with confidence and authority, and Airies found that she could not disobey.

She stayed right where she was. She could not move. And part of her believed that she did not want to move.

Edmund closed the distance between them, and gently lowered his lips against hers. They could hear the others heart nearly pounding out of their chest. Edmund slid his hand down her neck and tangled his fingers in her hair as Airies moved her hands to his neck, and held one hand to his cheek.

After what seemed like an eternity, Edmund pulled away from her, pure love reflecting in his eyes.

"I apologize, Airies, I just could not control myself any longer," he apologized, embarrassed now that he had actually done what he had only dreamed of doing for a long time.

Airies kissed him softly and quickly.

"You were right, I care for you. And as long as you are here, I am yours, just so long as you remember who I truly belong to," she said to him.

"Thank you, that's all I'm asking for," was all he could say before going in for another kiss.

The next morning, Airies awoke bright and early as the Dawn rose over the sea. She had had that nightmare again, the one that always seemed to haunt her. It was of Peter, as most of her dreams were, but this was not a dream, this was a nightmare, in which Peter no longer loved her.

Airies walked out onto the deck, leaning over the railing, letting the warm sun bathe her and take away the bad dream. As she looked out over the horizon, she was surprised to hear someone come up next to her; Lucy.

She was holding a piece of parchment in her right hand.

"Peter told me that if I were to get back to Narnia, I should give this to you. I had just enough time to grab it and stick it in Edmund's water proof drawing pad before we were pulled into the painting," Lucy said.

Airies slowly and shakily took the parchment from Lucy.

_My dearest Airies, my love,_

_Never a day goes by when I don't think about you. I've been back in England for a month now, and the hurt is not getting any better, as Aslan said it would. I do not say that I've been "home", because you and I both know that my home is where you are, and that is how it will always be. My sweet, never doubt that I will always be thinking of you, and missing you, because every moment of every day I am. The slightest touch from anyone sends my mind tumbling back to the times we shared holding each other late into the night. Anytime that the wind blows the smell of fresh grass and lilac my way, I am sent spiraling into memories of being with you, running my fingers through your soft hair. I can almost feel you in my arms now. How I wish I was with you. When the summer holiday comes up, I will be spending it with Professor Kirke. While I am there, I will be finding any way that I can to get back to you. We will see each other again._

_I miss you. I love you._

_Yours always, Peter._

Airies finished reading and clutched the parchment to her chest. She slid down the side of the boat, until she came to rest with her knees drawn tight to her body. She could not help it as she sobbed. The tears just came of their own accord.

Lucy slid down next to her, and wrapped her arms around her friend.

"Oh, Airies, what did it say?" Lucy cried, wanting to sob herself at the sight of Airies looking so heartbroken and sad.

"He's… trying to get back to me… but Aslan's decision is always final," she cried, clutching onto the younger girl for support.

"No, Airies, Peter will get back to you. There must be a way. Not even Aslan can keep true love away from each other," Lucy told her.

"Oh, Lucy, I can't stand being away from him any longer. I thought it would get easier, but it's only gotten worse. And now Edmund-" Airies sobbed, feeling more vulnerable and weak than she ever had in her entire life.

"Airies, Peter will find a way, please trust me. I know Peter, and his love for you is real, and when Peter is determined to do something, nothing stands in his way," Lucy convinced her.

"What has happened?" Caspian questioned as he ran over to them and kneeled down on Airies other side. He had walked out of his cabin to see the two girls slumped against the wall, with Airies crying very hard onto Lucy's shoulder.

He wiped the tears away from her face and asked, "Who has done this to you?"

"Caspian, please, nothing has happened," Airies tried to explain.

"It is him again, isn't it? The High King. What is that in your hand?" he said, trying to snatch the letter from her, but Lucy was quicker. She took the letter from Airies and tucked it under her own tunic.

"King Caspian, this is none of your business. You do not read other people's letters without permission," the Queen growled, sounding angrier and more forceful then she ever had before.

"He's written you a letter? Hasn't he done enough?" Caspian exclaimed, jumping up from his kneeling position.

"What have you done to her?" Edmund had come out of his cabin to find Airies, her face tear streaked, with Lucy sitting next to her, looking menacing, and Caspian towering over them.

"What have _I_ done to her? It is what your selfish brother has done!" Caspian shouted.

"My brother is not selfish," Edmund growled, whipping out his sword.

"Ed, stop!" Lucy shouted, standing up.

Caspian took his own sword out as well. "He has written her a letter, tearing her heart apart again. Too many times I've had to see her cry over him! I won't stand for it any longer! Clearly, he does not love her, or he would just let her move on!"

"My brother does love her! How dare you accuse the High King, who is still King over you I might remind, of treachery of the heart!" Edmund yelled, stepping closer to him.

"That is enough!" Lucy shouted, getting between them.

"You two will lower your swords, now! Can you not see how badly you are upsetting her? I am taking Airies to my cabin. You two are not to follow. You will get over your petty differences. There is absolutely no reason to be fighting. Airies will not speak to you, either of you, until she is ready, and only when she is ready, that is if she can find it in her heart to forgive you both for the idiocy, and inappropriateness of how you've acted," Lucy threatened, her expression dark.

She took one more moment to glare at the two kings before taking Airies by the hand and leading her to the cabin.

"Airies, oh Airies, please, relax. They are boys, stubborn and immature, and they know nothing of a girls feelings," Lucy told her once they were inside the cabin.

After a while, Airies' tears subsided, and her breathing became normal again. Lucy continued to rub circles on her back until Airies bent over and hid her face in her hands.

"I am a mess," she mumbled.

"Let me go get some cool water so you can wash up," Lucy told her.

As soon as the door was shut after Lucy, a warm breeze ruffled Airies' hair. She sat up and looked into the golden eyes of a large lion that was standing in front of her.

Without wasting any time, Airies wrapped her arms around the lion, sobbing into his mane.

"My daughter," he began, his voice very slow and sad, "I have caused you more pain than I ever intended. How will you ever forgive me?"

"I just miss him, Father. I want nothing more than to be with him, and it is a horrible feeling knowing that I cannot," she admitted to him.

Aslan pulled back. "Let me breathe on you, my daughter. I will not make you forget, but it is the only thing that I can think to do for you," he said solemnly.

Airies pulled away and kneeled before him. She had never let him do this before, but she needed his magic now more than ever.

Aslan moved his face close to her, and a warm breath hit her head on. All at once, her thoughts of sorrow and grief left her, and were replaced with feelings of strength.

At that moment, the door opened, and Lucy stepped inside, nearly dropping the basin of water which she had brought with her at the sight of the lion who was sitting in front of her.

She placed the basin down on the floor, and ran over to Aslan, burying her face in his mane, and showering him with kisses.

"Oh, Aslan!" she cried.

Aslan laughed and said, "Dear One, you have behaved most admirably. Standing up to a brother and a close friend is not an easy thing to do."

"Is there anything that you can do for Edmund and Caspian? They are blinded by fury and jealousy," Lucy requested.

"I will do what I can for them," Aslan told her.

"Thank you, Aslan."

"I must take my leave now, Dear Ones, but I will first tend to Caspian and Edmund. Take care, both of you."

Aslan kissed both girls and gave Airies a strong hug.

"I love you, Aslan," they said right before he disappeared.

"Lucy?"

"Yes Airies?"

"I just want to thank you, for, you know, looking out for me before," Airies said gratefully.

"Oh, Airies, I know how you must be feeling. I feel it every time that I leave Narnia. It's like a hurting that stays with you, no matter how much you try to push it away. I also understand that it must be so much worse for you. Though I love Narnia, I have never been pulled away so abruptly from someone that I am in love with," Lucy told her.

"You pretty much said it perfectly. When it first happened, my entire body ached with the hurt, but now it's just subsided in my chest, right near my heart. Some days are easier than others, but I can never truly make it go away," Airies said.

As she said this, Lucy got up and picked up the basin she had left by the door and carried it over to the bed. She dabbed a cloth in it and said, "May I?"

After Airies nodded, Lucy started dabbing the wet cloth against her cheeks, washing away the tear streaks and cooling her warm skin.

"It's the same for Peter. When we first got back, he didn't speak for days. I remember seeing him with a pained expression on his face, and he would clutch his chest over his heart. Mum was frantic, she didn't know what was going on. And he wouldn't talk about it, not to me, or Edmund, not to any of us.

"And even though he's talking and getting back to normal, there are still days when he seems so distant and sad. Airies, he really does love you. He's never given any other girl a chance since he's met you. I know that since he chose to leave you've been doubting his feelings for you, but they're stronger now than ever. Please don't doubt them," Lucy told her.

Airies hugged the younger girl, acknowledging her wisdom.

"Thank you, Lucy, I will never doubt again."

* * *

_**Author's Note:**__ I'm just obsessed with uploading this story. Now that I have it done, I just want it to be read. But I don't want it to go by too fast either. But anyway, that was chapter four. Please let me know what your thoughts were, whether they be good or bad, I'll take anything._

_And thank you for reading! :)_


	5. Chapter 5

They had reached the Lone Islands a few days after Airies received her letter from Peter and of all of the actions that followed, and Caspian elected to go ashore. They could all use a good walk on land to give their sea legs a rest.

They took two lifeboats over to the Island, and it seemed that the entire place was void of people. It was quiet and eerie, almost too quiet and too eerie for their liking.

Then, when it seemed that it had gotten even quieter, if that were even possible, the sound of a bell tolled from the Clock Tower above them.

Everyone's heads whipped in that direction and Caspian pointed his bow up at the tower.

"Reepicheep, stay here with Drinian and his men and secure the place. If we don't come back by dawn, send a party," Caspian ordered before leading Airies, the Pevencies, and Eustace up a walkway that led to the bell tower.

They looked all around them as they walked through the ghost town. There was no one around.

"Right, no one's here, so I think we should go back!" Eustace called out.

He was slower than the rest of them, and dragged behind, and he was also much more easily frightened.

Airies looked to Lucy and rolled her eyes, who giggled in response.

"Wanna come over here and… guard… something?" Edmund suggested, trying to keep him occupied so as to let them do their job here without disturbing them, or slowing them down.

"Oh, yes, alright. Great idea, cousin, very logical," Eustace agreed, running over to them.

Airies pushed open the door, but before they could go in, Caspian turned around and handed Eustace his dagger.

"I've got it. I've got it, don't worry," Eustace said, taking his guard duty job very seriously now.

Airies could hardly hold in her snicker of amusement as she led the way into the rundown building.

It was very dark in there, with large statues of kings, holding their beheaded heads in their marble hands. And in the middle of the dark room was a stand, on which was a book.

Lucy inspected it at once, as Airies looked at the stone statues. One of them looked much like Peter did during the Golden Age.

"Who are all of these people?" Lucy asked, examining the book.

Airies ran over to her and looked over her shoulder. Its pages held list after list of people's names, with numbers next to each name.

"And why have they been crossed out?" Edmund asked as he stepped up next to them.

"Slave traders," Caspian answered, and as he did so, a bell tolled above them, accompanied by a battle cry, and six men slid down ropes and landed in front of the Narnians, drawing weapons immediately.

Airies quickly engaged in a duel with three of them at once, with Edmund right by her side. He never strayed far away from her, and that was fine with both of them. Being near each other made them stronger.

"Duck!" he shouted, as one of the men came charging at her.

Airies ducked just in time as Edmund jumped over her, meeting the man with a clash of his sword.

They were all doing well, until they heard a scream from the entrance, and spun around only to see Eustace being dragged in by the man who must have been the leader, holding a knife to the child's throat.

"Unless you want to hear this one squeal like a girl again, I say you drop your weapons," he threatened.

"Like a girl?" Eustace exclaimed, outraged at this man who was holding him at knifepoint.

But the man pushed his knife further into Eustace's skin and said again, "Drop your weapons."

Lucy was the first to do so, her face contorted in rage, and the others followed suit, letting their weapons, their only way out of this safe and alive, drop to the ground.

"Right, put them in irons," the man ordered.

"Get off of her!" Edmund shouted as one of the other men grabbed Airies from behind. He struggled against his own captors grasp, trying to get to Airies.

They could do what they want to him, but not to her.

"Touchy I see," one of the men said, right before they punched Edmund in the stomach, causing him to double over in pain.

"Stop!" Airies screamed, struggling harder. They couldn't hurt Edmund, let them hurt her instead.

"Take those three to the square," the man in charge yelled, indicating Eustace, Lucy and Airies, "and take those two to the dungeons!"

"No, you can't separate us!" Lucy cried.

"Unhand me! I AM YOUR KING!" Caspian screamed.

"You're going to pay for this," Edmund threatened.

"Yes, someone will pay, for all of you. Take them away!"

"EDMUND!" Lucy screamed as they started dragging them away.

"No! Let them go! Lucy, Airies!" Edmund struggled harder, as did Airies, and they both managed to escape from their captors, but only for a moment.

Edmund ran up to Airies, and took her into his arms, kissing her fiercely; right before the men grabbed them again, pulling them apart.

"We'll see each other again. We'll get out of this," Airies whispered to Edmund and Caspian, who had managed to run over to her as well, as her captors dragged her away from there.

"Airies!" Caspian shouted, just managing to brush his fingertips against her cheek, her hair slipping through his fingers as his captors grabbed him again.

Lucy, Eustace and Airies were taken down to the town square, where they were thrown hard against the wall and chained there, lined up in a row with other villagers and Narnians that had been captured.

"Some of you will be sold into slavery, others will serve a far greater purpose here," the man, whose name turned out to be Pug, told them.

"Are you proud of the life you lead? Stealing people from their homes and their families and selling them as slaves?" Airies growled at him.

Pug walked over to her and kneeled down in front of her.

"You've got a mouth on you, I see," he said, looking her in the eye, right before he slapped her across the face, hard.

Lucy flinched next to her, and even Eustace looked a little horrified. Where he came from, it was practically a crime to hit a woman.

"You'll serve as the sacrifice. Take her!" Pug ordered.

Another man came over and dragged Airies to her feet.

"No, don't take her!" Lucy cried.

"Don't worry, Lucy, we'll be together again soon," Airies tried to comfort her, but her eyes betrayed the real emotion that she was feeling: fear.

Airies was tossed into a car with the other helpless victims, and sitting next to her was a young boy, who only had to be around ten years old. He was crying and shaking with fear.

"What's your name, little one?" she asked him quietly.

"Victor," he whispered.

"I'll get you back to your family, Victor. I will get you out of this. It'll be alright, you'll see." And she really hoped that her words were true.

This boy hadn't even had a chance to live yet. She would not let him be sacrificed.

The carts brought the captives to the harbor, where a lifeboat was already being loaded with people. The captives in the cart were taken out and thrown against the wall and Airies crawled over to Victor, making sure that she wasn't separated from him.

The victims watched as the lifeboat filled with people was set loose and it glided along the water. Dark clouds filled the sky, thunder rumbled from above, traveling down to the ground and through the bodies of those that were lined up against the wall to be taken next. At the same time, a green mist rolled out over the water, gaining speed and height as the boat got closer.

"Victor, cover your ears, and don't watch," Airies advised him, her voice shaking with each word.

The little boy rested his head against her shoulder, his eyes shut tight, and his hands just reached his ears, as the people on the boats started screaming as the green fog, because it was too big now to be called a mist, surrounded them. And then, there was silence as the fog rolled away, taking with it the boats and its victims.

Airies closed her eyes and rested her head against her knees, feeling very sick to her stomach. All those innocent people… and she was next in line.

That's when she heard it, the sound that she had been waiting and hoping for that echoed from the square.

"FOR NARNIA!" came the cries.

Airies jumped up and kicked away the man that was charging at her.

"For Narnia!" she shouted, and soon the others in the harbor were following suit.

She knocked one of the slave traders to the ground and stole his sword, quickly grabbing Victor's hand and leading him up to the square, where more fighting was going on.

She could see Edmund and Caspian up on a balcony, fighting against the guards for the keys to unlock their cuffs.

"Victor, stay hidden," she told him, before blinking her eyes shut. And when she opened them, she was up in the balcony with Edmund and Caspian.

"Airies!" Edmund cried, causing the guard to spin around and engage her in battle. She quickly stabbed her sword into him, and then grabbed the keys, tossing them over to Edmund.

All of the townspeople were in on the battle now, and with their numbers, it was an easy win. Airies was able to find Victor's family, which she was glad for. They hadn't been taken by the mist. And she, along with Caspian, vowed to find the ones who had been taken away from their families .

"Airies!" Edmund cried again, once they safely boarded the Dawn Treader. He wrapped his arms around her, and held her tight.

"I saw them bring you as a sacrifice. I thought… I'd never…" his eyes were full of tears at the thought.

Airies kissed him softly before saying, "Sh, Edmund, I am here. I'm alive, and I'm with you."

In an instant, his lips were on hers with a great urgency. After he pulled away, he kissed her forehead, letting his lips linger there.

"I love you. Thank Aslan you're safe," he whispered.

"And I you, my king. Now, if I'm not mistaken, you have a sword that needs cleaning," she suggested with a laugh.

"Then let's get to it," Edmund said while taking her hand and leading her down to his cabin.

"Airies, I have to talk to you about something," Edmund said suddenly.

They had mostly been cleaning the sword in silence, and it was half way finished now, the silver shining out in the light that shone through the porthole in the treasury cabin.

"What is it, Ed?"

"Aslan spoke to me," he began slowly, unsure of where this would lead, but Airies nodded at him, encouraging him to go on.

"That day that… that Lucy gave you Peter's letter… and Caspian and I… well, anyway, Aslan spoke to me. He came into the cabin. Well, I mean, he didn't really come in, but that gold lion's head over there, it sort of spoke to me. It was not a pleasant talk at all, but he wasn't mad and he didn't scold me or anything, he just sounded disappointed," he told her.

"Well, of course he knew about what had happened; Aslan sees everything. And he told me that as a King of Narnia I should have known better than to jump at Caspian like that, that I should have rationally talked things over, rather than just take out my sword and threaten him. Aslan told me that I need to stop thinking about myself, and start thinking about other people's feelings. He told me if I continue acting the way that I do, that it will be my downfall, and I will lose people in the process," he gave her a look that told her that when he said 'people' what he really meant was her.

Airies opened her mouth to speak, but Edmund shook his head.

"He was right, as Aslan always is. I acted irrationally, and I shouldn't have. But he also said that my intentions, however irrational they might have been, were in the right place. He knows I was just trying to protect you and Peter, because your relationship is already so hard without Caspian and I trying to muff it all up. So, for that, I'm sorry, for the way that I've acted. I hope you can forgive me," he said, averting his gaze from hers. "Caspian said that Aslan came to him as well, and told me that what he said was similar to what he said to me."

However, she cupped his chin in her hand and turned his face back to hers.

"Of course, I forgive you," she told him before kissing his forehead and getting back to work on the sword.

They spent the rest of the day either in his cabin, or out on the deck cleaning his sword, getting all of the dirt and grime off of it.

"It's going to be magnificent, sire," Reepicheep praised him. "Do you think they come in a smaller size?" he joked.

"If they don't, I'll make you one on my own, Reep," Airies told the mouse with a smile, causing him to bow in response.

"Thank you, your highness."

With a quick grasp of Edmund's hand, Airies got up from her seat on the deck floor and walked up to the bow, where Tavros the minotaur and Rhince, the newest crewman to the ship, were talking.

From her spot on the bow, she was able to look down at the crew members on the ship. Some were working hard, she was able to admire Edmund clean his sword, and she could also see Eustace sitting behind some barrels, writing in his journal.

Cousin Eustace was a hard nut to crack. He spent most of his time sulking on board, and writing in his journal, and the crew members did not particularly like him. He was annoying, and rude, but Airies felt that deep down he just wanted to be accepted. She wanted to warm him up to Narnia, to get him acquainted with this world and its people, but she did not know how.

That's when Tavros spoke, his voice deep and practically running through her.

"What are you doing talking to that bird?" He was talking to Eustace, who had been conversing with a sea gull.

"I… I just assumed…" he began.

"He's talking to a bird!" Tavrosv laughed, causing the rest of the crew members to start laughing as well.

"Hush," Airies ordered, watching as a blush crept up Eustace's cheeks as he shooed the bird away. The crew members making fun of him would not change his thoughts on this world at all.

But Airies supposed that was what had caused Eustace to try and steal extra rations of food, which only led him to be caught by Reepicheep, who challenged him to a duel after Eustace refused to give the stolen orange back.

"Reep," Airies whispered as she watched them duel, a smile on her face.

The little mouse was trying to teach the boy. He bellowed instructions at Eustace, telling him where to place his feet, and advising him that dueling was very much like a dance.

They were getting into it, when Eustace tripped and fell into a pile of barrels, a scream coming from one of the upturned ones.

Out from the barrel crawled a little girl, Airies remembered seeing her on the Lone Islands. It was the newly acquired sailors' daughter, Gael. She had snuck on board in order to stay with her father, Rhince.

Lucy led her down into the girls' cabin, where she was going to let Gael stay with them.

"Good match. I'll make a swordsman out of you yet," Airies heard Reepicheep praise Eustace.

She looked over just in time to see Eustace flash the mouse a smile, but he then quickly realized what he was doing and frowned again.

Airies walked up to the mouse and said, "Thank you, Reep."

"Your Highness," Reepicheep said with a bow.

Airies then quickly walked over to Eustace and clapped him on the back, lightly of course.

"Well done, Eustace. You're actually a very decent sword fighter. Better, even, than Peter was when he first came to Narnia," Airies told the boy.

"My cousin?" he asked, and Airies nodded.

"You think I'll be better than Edmund?" Eustace asked sheepishly.

Airies laughed. "Maybe, if you work very hard. There's no one better than Edmund."

"You're better than I am," Edmund pointed out as he walked up next to her, his new sword completely cleaned and shining in the light of the sun.

"Let's see a duel then," came Lucy's voice from their shoulder, her eyes smiling at them with playful fun.

"Yes, we have been waiting to see this," Caspian added, coming up to them with Peter's sword in his hands, which he handed to Airies.

"Are you serious?" she asked.

"Oh do, cousin. I'd like to see what I'm up against and what I need to learn in order to beat you," Eustace said, with something that sounded quite like a laugh.

A circle formed around them, and with a twinkle in his eye, Edmund bowed at Airies. She shook her head before bowing back. They stood at the ready.

"You sure about this Edmund?" Airies laughed.

"Go," he said with a smile.

Airies swung her sword above her head and it clashed against Edmund's. They circled each other, stabbing their swords back and forth, as the laughter of the crew roared in their ears. Edmund stabbed straight for her right shoulder, but Airies spun away from him. He spun around to meet her, thrusting his sword against hers.

He then aimed for her ankles, but Airies jumped over the sword, and she used her magic to send her higher into the air, landing just behind Edmund, before he could even realize what was going on.

She tapped him on the shoulder with her sword, and he spun around to meet her again. Their swords formed an 'X' as they clashed together.

"You cheated," he breathed.

"Did not," she laughed. "Want to call a truce?"

"Let's finish this," he growled playfully before pulling his sword back and then hitting it against hers again.

Then, somehow or other, Airies was spinning her sword around Edmund's, sending it falling to the ground. The crew members cheered and laughed, clapping both Edmund and Airies on the back.

"Told you so," Edmund laughed, while sticking his tongue out at her.

"And that's why we fight on the same team," Airies said with a laugh.

"It's a good thing we do. I believe fighting together makes us stronger. But fighting against each other just tears us apart," Edmund said.

He then wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her to him as the crew members started going back to work.

"Good match," Airies laughed.

"Good match," Edmund agreed, touching his lips to hers before they retired for the night.

* * *

_**Author's Note: **__I'm happy to say that my chapters just keep getting longer :) Anyway, this was chapter five. Reviews please? I'll take any comments, answer any questions, anything you send at me is well appreciated._

_As always, thanks for reading! :)_


	6. Chapter 6

The Dawn rose over the sea for another day before they located land. Caspian made the announcement that a few of them were going to stay on shore for the night and see if they could find anything on the island.

They went ashore and set up camp, lighting a fire and placing blankets around it. Night fell quickly, as it always did in Narnia.

Airies and Edmund set up camp next to each other, and as the stars blanketed the sky they moved closer to each other, resting on their sides facing the other, their hands interlocked together.

"Tell me about your childhood," Edmund whispered.

Everyone besides Lucy, who was reading a book she had found on the Dawn, was sleeping.

"I can't remember much of it, truth be told. There are things I do remember, even dating as far back as when I was just a few months old. It was the beginning of the White Witch's reign in Narnia, and things were getting bad. I lived in Cair with Aslan, and we had a whole family of fauns living with us. They watched over me, and the one who took the most care of me, the one I loved the most, just so happened to be Tumnus's great grandfather," Airies said, smiling over at Lucy, for she was listening now, and she beamed back.

"The Witch and her beasts attacked Cair, and tried to break down its walls. Aslan ordered the fauns to protect me, to send me into another world to keep me safe. Tirian, Tumnus's great grandfather, did just that. He took me through the woods, told me I'd be safe and then tossed me into the air, humming this beautiful, soft, slow tune. Then I disappeared. And I remember opening my eyes, and looking up into the gentle eyes of my new father. 'You're the most beautiful baby I've ever seen,' I remember him saying," she told them.

"You were a smart baby, to understand all that," Edmund stated.

"I was a magical baby. But I can't remember anything up until I was ten years old, which is strange, you'd think I'd be able to remember every moment that passed in my lifetime, since I can remember so clearly things that happened when I was just a few months old," she continued.

"So, what do you remember then, starting from when you were ten?" Lucy asked, engaging in the conversation.

"I remember waking up in the middle of the night to Aslan telling me who I really was, and why I was sent away. And up until then, all I had wanted was to be the most liked child in school. I wanted everyone's attention, I wanted all of the new toys, and the best grades. But after I heard what Aslan had to say, all those wants disappeared. All I wanted was to be back in Narnia. And then I was singled out as the odd girl, because I gave up all of my toys to nearby charities, and I stopped caring about what the other kids thought of me. It wasn't material things that I wanted anymore. I had a much greater purpose than being popular now. I learned of my powers, and started testing them. I even have to admit that one time I used them on a boy to make him croak like a frog. He was a nasty thing, teasing people all the time," Edmund and Lucy giggled at that.

"I noticed that your wand was left in the treasure cabin on the Dawn. You don't use it anymore?" Lucy questioned her, and Airies shook her head.

"I use it sometimes, but mostly I don't really need to anymore. My magic has gotten stronger over these many years in Narnia. I'm sure you two know how it feels to come back to Narnia and get stronger," and they nodded at that, "Well, since I've been here so long, my magic has finally come back to me, and is getting stronger, plus Edmund's found his magic so his magic that is charging through me helps too."

Lucy smiled at Edmund, and Airies figured he must have told Lucy all about his talent for drawing.

"I want to hear about you two though, what your lives were like before Narnia, before me, before all of this," Airies pressed them for information.

"What do you want to know?" Edmund asked.

"Tell me about your parents," she asked.

Edmund smiled at the thought of his parents as Lucy jumped into a discussion about them.

"They're the best parents in the world, although we don't see them much," she said.

"Father was in the war for a long time, we were always worried about him," Edmund added.

"Mother is very protective of us. She loves us dearly, and always spoils us. Whenever we came home from school on holidays there would always be a batch of her homemade chocolate chip cookies waiting for us. She was the best cook," Lucy praised her mother.

"She was great at everything. If you ever needed advice, a shoulder to cry on, someone to laugh with, she was the one to go to. As far as mothers go, she's the best," Edmund also praised her.

Airies smiled at her friends. "And your father?" she pressed on.

"Dad was the best too," Edmund said.

"He was the playful one. He used to give us horsy rides all the time, and whenever we asked he used to drop whatever it was that he was doing to come and play with us," Lucy said.

"The war broke him. He was forced to kill people, he faced death in the face countless times, and he had to see people, people who he grew close to, die in his presence," Edmund explained at Airies questioning look.

She nodded. "War does that. It's a hard thing; it breaks people down, even the best of us."

"He's starting to get better though. The light's come back to his eyes. This was mainly what his trip to America was for; to revive him, make him come alive again," Edmund told her.

"Your father will come around. America will be good for him, you'll see," Airies encouraged them, seeing the sad looks on their faces.

"What were you like as kids?" she changed the subject.

"I was a git, you know that," Edmund laughed. "Up until Narnia my whole life had been based on spiting Peter, who was the favorite child always. I was always compared to him, and it was never good comparisons," he told her.

"You're not anymore though, Ed, don't forget that," Lucy reminded her brother, coming over to them and grasping his hand.

"No one is comparing you to Peter. You've grown up, you are your own person now, never having to live in Peter's shadow again," she said, and he rested his head upon his younger sisters.

"Lucy was always the nicest of our siblings. And even though I never would have admitted it back then, she was always the one I felt most comfortable around, felt the closest to. She was so full of life, even at such young ages," Edmund told Airies, right before he kissed the top of his sisters head.

"At least you're admitting it now. He's become awfully protective too," Lucy said sarcastically, pretending to act annoyed when really she was overjoyed knowing that her older brother cared about her so much, when he used to act like he despised her. She liked this Edmund much more.

They soon fell asleep, but Airies stayed awake much longer, looking up at the stars.

She loved her life, and she wouldn't trade it for the world. Everything that had happened to her in the past had made her stronger and who she was today.

But she was a bit jealous of the love that the Pevencie siblings had for each other. The four of them cared about each other more than she had ever seen anyone care for someone else. She wished she had had that growing up.

She also thought about what was going on between her and Edmund. When did her feelings for him change from friendly into romantic? She tried pinpointing it but could hardly do it. She imagined that the feeling was just always there, but it was hidden by her feelings for Peter.

But she had chosen to acknowledge them now. She even believed that she had chosen to acknowledge them when she kissed Edmund, really kissed Edmund, before they left Narnia three years ago.

With a sigh, Airies rolled over to her other side, trying to drown out all of her thoughts, but her mind was racing too much to even begin to quiet it down. That's when she heard movement to her right and she sat up, only to see Eustace crawling back into his bedding.

Airies got up and quietly walked over to him, kneeling down by his side.

"Eustace?" she whispered. "Are you alright?"

"I just had to go to the bathroom is all," he responded, but his nose sounded stuffed up as if he had been crying.

"Follow me, let's talk," she told him before taking him by the hand and leading him away from the other sleeping members of the crew.

Once they were far enough away where their conversation wouldn't be heard, Airies sat down on the ground and Eustace followed, although he did sit a good few feet away from her, still unsure on whether or not to trust this girl.

"You don't like it here," she stated, rather bluntly in Eustace's opinion.

"I just want to go home. All of this… it just can't be real. There can't be other worlds out there. It's just not logical," he replied, sucking in his breath and trying hard not to start crying again.

"This place is real. I know that's it very hard to believe, and get used to, and I understand how you must be feeling being in thrust into this place that you have no idea about, but you need to start believing in it. And from what I've heard you're a very logical person, so let's look at this logically. You live in England, yes?" And he nodded in response, as she continued. "Well, there are other countries in the world besides England. There's the United States of America, Russia, Australia, France, Spain, Mexico, Zimbabwe," she said with a laugh, naming different countries around the world.

"And in each of these different countries, there are different people, cultures, lifestyles, animals and languages. Each place has a different way of life, and a different way of doing things. Not every country is like England. And the same goes for Narnia. It's just another country, with its own way of life, and its own people and creatures," Airies told him softly, and Eustace was at a loss for words.

He supposed that she had a point. This was just another country, though it was one that he was definitely not aware of like all of the others that she had named, nor was it one that he would be able to feel comfortable in quickly like his cousins did.

"I don't know…" he said, still unconvinced.

"It will definitely take some getting used to, but soon it will get easier for you. And who knows, maybe you'll find you like it here," she told him with a shrug before standing up.

"Time for bed I think," she announced while offering the boy her hand, who surprisingly took it, and helped him to his feet, where together they walked back to camp and promptly fell asleep as the night grew darker.

The morning sun rose quickly, and Airies awoke to a frantic cry from Caspian and Edmund.

"Lucy? Lucy!"

Airies shot up and looked around. The other crew members were sleeping, but Lucy's bedding was a mess, and she was nowhere to be found.

But there was something that was off. She went to look by Lucy's blankets and bent down, examining something next to it. A giant footprint rested in the sand, at least four times bigger than a normal person's foot size.

"Edmund," Airies called out, alerting him to the footprint.

"There's more leading this way. Follow me, let's go!" Caspian shouted, alerting the crew members and grabbing weapons.

They ran through the island, following the large footsteps and the whole time Airies was trying to figure out what they could have been made from. She had never come across footprints like these before. All the while they called Lucy's name, hoping that she could hear them.

"What if they've hurt her?" Edmund cried as they ran.

"Ed, she's fine. I would know if they hurt her in any way," Airies assured him.

"How?"

"I would have seen it. I'm very attuned to Lucy, you remember the way that I saw Jadis come back at Aslan's How? It's the same thing. I would have seen if anything bad happened to her," she told him, and he believed her.

A flash of light hit Edmund's eyes and he looked down to the ground. There was something silver lying in the grass, reflecting the sun back at him. He bent down to examine it.

"Caspian! It's Lucy's dagger," he said, taking it into his hands.

"She's been here," Caspian whispered, and right as he did, spears appeared out of thin air, landing right in front of all of them as they pulled out their swords.

"Stop right there!" an invisible voice shouted, towering above them.

Then, the invisible beings, because not just one creature could have thrown that many spears at once, charged the Narnians, beating them to the ground and disarming them of their weapons.

"What sort of creatures are you?" Caspian questioned from his spot on the ground.

"Big ones," one of the voices said.

"Scary ones," another voice added.

"With the head of a tiger, and the body of a…" the first voice started.

"Another tiger!" the second voice finished for him.

"You don't want to mess with us!"

"Or what?" Edmund asked them.

"Or we'll claw you to death!" one of the voices threatened, right as they started to appear in front of the Narnians.

The creatures threatened them more, right before Airies burst out into laughter.

These creatures were the furthest thing from intimidating. They hopped on one leg, with ginormous feet. They were short, and so in order to make them seem taller, they stood on top of each other.

"I should have known by the footprints. They're dufflepods," Airies whispered to Edmund, and he laughed at the "intimidating" creatures.

"You mean squash us with your fat bellies?" he said sarcastically in response to their threats.

"Or perhaps tickle us with your toes?" Caspian joked.

"Yes, you are very intimidating," Airies laughed. "Take them down," she ordered the crew members.

The dufflepods hopped off of each other and fell to the ground at the sight of the Narnians advancing on them.

Edmund rounded on the chief immediately.

"What have you done with my sister you pipsqueak?" he growled.

"Now, calm down," the chief dufflepod said, shaking in fear of Edmund's sword.

"Where is she?" he shouted.

"She's in the mansion!" another dufflepod told him.

"What mansion?" he and Caspian questioned, looking around. There was no mansion in sight.

"Ed," Airies alerted him, for there was in fact a mansion appearing out of thin air.

"Oh, that mansion," Edmund said, right as the doors opened and Lucy stepped out with a man who was wearing a long pair of robes.

"The oppressor!" the dufflepods shouted, hopping around in fear as Eustace came running out of the bushes behind them.

"I really wish you all would stop leaving me behind!" he shouted, before he caught sight of the dufflepods and took a step back.

Airies walked over to him and placed an arm around his shoulders.

"Dufflepods. They're harmless, but very annoying," she said with a laugh.

"This place just gets weirder and weirder," he responded, shaking his head.

"Your majesties," the robed man said as he bowed to Caspian and Edmund, and Airies finally got a good look at him.

"Coriarchin!" she shouted, running over to him and enveloping him in a hug.

"Airies, my dear, is that you? I never thought I'd be lucky enough to see you again!" he cried as he hugged her back.

"You're hugging the oppressor! Be careful. He'll turn you invisible. He just wants to oppress us all!" the dufflepods shouted. "You have wronged us magician."

"I did not wrong you. I made you invisible for your own protection," Coriarchin said as he walked towards them, and the dufflepods hopped away from him.

"Protection? You lie oppressor!"

"I have not oppressed you," he sighed, but the dufflepods would not believe him.

"Be gone!" Coriarchin said at the same time that Airies did, and together they threw their hands out. White stuff flew out of Coriarchin's hand as red sparks shot out of Airies', and the dufflepods finally hopped away, leaving them free to talk by themselves.

"What was that?" Lucy asked Coriarchin.

"Lint, but don't tell them that," he laughed.

"Mine was real," Airies joked.

"Ah yes, I remember how good your magic was when I first met you. It seems it has gotten stronger yet. Let me take a good look at you," he said softly, taking her face in between both of his hands.

"You have grown even more beautiful since the last time I saw you. And of course you have the eyes of a lion," he praised her, before he let her face go, but instead he draped an arm around her shoulders and led them into his mansion.

"How do you know him?" Caspian asked her.

"I was on the run from the Telmarines when they started taking over Narnia, and Coriarchin allowed me to stay hidden here. He housed me for three years before your Professor sought me out and brought me back to Narnia," she explained to Caspian. "He even taught me some of his own magic. He's very skilled."

"Of course, your creatures had two feet at the time. What did you do to them?" she then asked, turning her face to Coriarchin.

"I turned them into Monopods. They were not doing their work, you must remember how distracted they all got, and how stubborn and conceited they can be," he explained to her, and she nodded in response, for she did remember that the Dufflepods listened to no one.

"What did you mean when you said you made them invisible for their own good?" Lucy asked Coriarchin as he led them into one of his libraries.

"It seemed the easiest way to protect them," he answered, "from the evil," he then added after seeing their confused faces.

"You mean the mist?" Edmund questioned.

"I mean what lies behind the mist," Coriarchin said as he walked across the room.

He grabbed a large scroll off of his desk and then tossed it in the air.

It unrolled and before them was a map of the entire sea, with moving waves and white clouds above it.

"There is the source of your troubles: Dark Island and its mist. It can take any form. It can make your darkest dreams come true. It seeks to corrupt all goodness. To plague Narnia to darkness, to steal the light from this world," Coriarchin told them.

"How do we stop it?" Lucy questioned.

"You must break its spell," he told them while walking over to Edmund.

"That sword you carry, there are six others just like it," he told him.

"Have you seen them?" Edmund asked, and the magician nodded.

"Six lords, did they pass through here?" Caspian asked, starting to realize everything.

"Indeed," Coriarchin answered, as he walked across the map and over to Caspian.

"Where were they headed?"

"Where I sent them." As he said this, the map under his feet started to change its picture and head east.

"To break the spell you must follow the blue star to Ramandu's Island. There the seven swords must be laid at Aslan's table. Only then can their true magical power be released. But be weary, you are all about to be tested," he warned, looking each of them in the eye.

"Tested how?" Lucy asked.

"Until you lay down the seven swords, evil has the upper hand. It will do everything in its power to tempt you. Be strong. To defeat the darkness out there, you must beat the darkness inside yourselves."

"We must go now. There's not much time," Airies advised.

"She is right. Hurry. Your quest will not be easy," Coriarchin agreed.

"Thank you, sir, for all of your help," Lucy thanked him.

Coriarchin bowed in response. "Good luck. Do not let the mist tempt you. Be strong," he said again.

Airies bowed to her friend before leading the way out of the mansion and then back onto the Dawn.

The storm started that same night, ripping and pushing their ship through the waves. And two weeks later, Airies was at the helm, her clothes soaked through from the pouring rain that still continued to hail down on them, but she would not abandon her post at the wheel. Drinian was in the Captain's cabin with Edmund and Caspian, discussing tactics and logic, and trying to convince them that they should take their own course of action.

They had yet to be able to find the blue star. Some of the crew members started to become doubtful that they would ever find it. They believed that they were fighting a losing battle, but Airies would not let herself give in and believe that. The blue star would come to them, and they would be able to defeat this.

She held tight to the wheel as a strong wind threatened to pull her off course. That's when Drinian came up out of the cabin, his hood pulled over his head, and he took the wheel from her.

"You're a much better sailor than I am," she praised him, eagerly giving him the wheel.

"Go dry off. Send Rhince up here to keep a look out for the bloody star that is not bloody coming," Drinian growled, obviously angered by the defeat he had faced from Caspian and Edmund.

"No, I'll keep watch. No need for anyone else to suffer through this storm, and I'm already soaked through, so it doesn't matter. The wind is strong, be weary," she told him before leaving the helm and going to sit on the prow.

She pulled the hood of her cloak up over her head and sat there, hugging her knees to her chest as she shivered with the cold. This storm was slowly pushing them off course, and she was sure that there was some more powerful force trying to keep them from finding Ramandu's Island.

Somehow, though she didn't know when, she had fallen asleep. And in her sleep, she was hit with her first test of temptation.

She dreamt of Peter, only this wasn't the real Peter, this was temptation Peter.

"_I am going to leave you, Airies. You offer me nothing. You have given me nothing. You let Aslan send me away. It is your fault that I am gone. I don't want you anymore. But, there is one way that you can make me stay, but only if you bring me back, and you can bring me back. Your powers are stronger than Aslan's. Use your magic to bring me back, and maybe there is hope for us. Use your magic to bring me back, or my love for you will vanish, I will leave you,"_ Peter said, flickering in and out of shape.

"NO!" Airies awoke with a sharp intake of breath. She looked around her; she was still sitting in the mouth of the prow, and it was still storming, the rain pouring down around her, and the wind howling through her ears.

Peter was nowhere in sight.

"It's not real. That wasn't Peter," she whispered to herself. But she was still shaking from the effects of the dream.

She climbed out of the prow and snuck down into Edmund and Caspian's cabin, where they were both awake in their hammocks.

"Can't sleep either?" Caspian asked and Airies just shook her head.

"We just sent Lucy back to bed. Come here, you're soaked," Edmund said as he and Caspian got out of their hammocks.

Caspian grabbed a pair of his own night clothes and gave them to her as Edmund started toweling her off. She was shivering with cold and fear.

They turned around as she stripped out of her wet things and slipped on Caspian's clothes.

Edmund then took her by the hand and led her to his own hammock. She climbed in after him and he wrapped the blankets around her. As he wrapped his own arms around her to add to the warmth, Airies reached over to the next hammock and grabbed Caspian's hand.

"The testing has begun," she whispered to the dark.

"If we can make it through tonight, we can handle it from here," Caspian said to them.

"The morning will come soon enough," Edmund added with a yawn.

And morning did come, bringing with it the sun. The storm was over, and they found land right away so that they could restock with supplies for the ship.

Airies, Edmund, Caspian and Lucy went to search for the other six Lords while the rest of the crew found the supplies.

As Edmund and Lucy went ahead, Caspian pulled Airies to a stop and she looked at him questioningly, unaware as to what his reasoning for stopping them was.

"So it is you and Edmund now, I see?" he questioned, anger in his voice.

Airies rolled her eyes and said, "Don't do this, Caspian, not now," before turning away from him.

But Caspian would not let her go that easy. He grabbed her hand and spun her to him.

"What are you doing?" she whispered angrily.

"I just want you to know what all of your options are," he told her before pulling her closer, their bodies touching, and kissing her full on the mouth, hard.

And Airies, though she did not like to admit it, swooned on the spot. This was nothing like kissing Peter, or Edmund for that matter. But at the same time, it wasn't better to kiss Caspian, but it wasn't worse either for she felt something different when she kissed each of those three boys.

With Peter, she felt the utmost love and affection of soul mates flowing throughout her body. With Edmund, she felt comfortable and protected, and of course she felt love with it as well, but it wasn't nearly the same heart wrenching love that she felt while kissing Peter. And now, when she kissed Caspian, she felt adrenaline pumping through the blood in her veins. With Caspian, she felt excitement and adventure.

It was very different to kiss each of them, and it wasn't at all bad either, though she wished that it was. The fact that she enjoyed kissing all of them was tearing her apart inside, making everything harder.

Airies pulled away from him and looked up into his face, unsure of what to say. She could feel the tears pooling around her eyes.

"I apologize, but I had to make sure that you knew the way that I felt," he said, averting his gaze from hers.

"Caspian, I knew, I thought you knew how I felt too. I care for you, you know I do, I'm just so confused. I don't know what is going on with me anymore," she cried before running away from him. She couldn't deal with this, not now, not in the midst of everything that was going on.

As she made her way back to Edmund and Lucy, with Caspian falling in step behind her, she thought, '_Peter, why did you have to leave?'_

_

* * *

_

_**Author's Note: **__I'm sorry that I couldn't upload this chapter sooner. The power has been at my house all day, and it only just came back on about an hour ago. But anyway, that was chapter six, a good deal longer than the rest. I hope everyone liked it, and please let me know if you did, or if you didn't, any comment is welcomed here._

_Thank you for reading :)_


	7. Chapter 7

As they continued searching the island, they came across a deep hole in the rocky terrain and decided that they should investigate and see what they could find. A rope had already been tied to a rock and lowered down when they had gotten there, meaning that someone else had been here, and Edmund decided to be the first to drop into it.

It was an underground cave, and in it was a pond, in which rested a statue of gold at the bottom of it.

Edmund bent down to examine it.

"I don't like this at all. I'm getting a bad feeling," Lucy said to them.

"I have the same feeling, Lucy," Airies breathed.

"That statue looks like pure gold. Wonder how deep this pool is?" Caspian asked.

Edmund looked around and his eyes landed on a stick lying to the side of the pool.

"Well we can find out," he said as he picked up the stick and dipped it into the pond, lowering it in until it touched the bottom.

"The stick looks gold too! It must just be the light," Lucy exclaimed.

Edmund pulled the stick out of the water and said, "I don't think it's the light," right before he dropped it into the pond.

"What happened?" Caspian asked.

"It just got so heavy. I couldn't hold onto it anymore. The stick turned to gold!" he cried.

The four of the stepped closer to the pool, examining it further.

"He must have fallen in," Caspian stated.

"That poor man," Lucy said.

"You mean poor Lord," Edmund corrected her, staring into the water.

Next to the man was his sword and shield, the shield turned to gold, but the sword stayed silver. Edmund stepped even closer to the pool of water and dipped his sword in, carefully pulling out its brother.

"He mustn't have known what hit him," Lucy said sadly.

"Maybe. Or maybe he was on to something," Edmund said, bending down next to the water.

"What are you talking about?" Caspian asked.

Airies knew exactly what Edmund was thinking, and she didn't like it. She made a move to pull him away from the water, but Caspian grabbed her arm and pulled her back, shaking his head at her.

They all watched as Edmund picked up a tiny shell from the ground and dipped it into the water. He pulled it out, and set it down on the ground, and they watched as the entire shell turned to gold.

Edmund quickly took the shell into his grasp and lifted it up into the light, examining it.

"What are you staring at?" Lucy asked him.

"Whoever has access to this pool… could be the most powerful person in the world," he said, a glow in his eyes.

"Edmund, I don't like that look in your eye," Airies whispered.

"Hush!" Caspian quieted her, and she looked up into his eyes; they showed the same look that Edmund was wearing.

"Lucy, we'd be so rich. No one would be able to tell us what to do, or where to live," Edmund said, turning to face his sister.

"You can't take anything out of Narnia, Edmund," Caspian sighed, still gripping Airies arm.

"Says who?" Edmund asked, turning back to the gold shell in his hands.

"I do," Caspian growled, finally pushing Airies arm away and stepping toward Edmund, who stood up, lifting his sword up to his side as he did so.

"I'm not your subject," he said.

"You've been waiting for this, haven't you? To challenge me, you doubt my leadership!" Caspian said loudly.

"You doubt yourself," Edmund challenged.

"Both of you stop," Airies said, taking a step closer to where Lucy was standing, watching the brawl in horror.

"You're a child!" Caspian shouted.

"Caspian," Airies warned, grabbing Caspian by the arm, trying to pull him away, but he pulled his arm out of her grasp and pushed her back.

"And you're a spineless sap!" Edmund yelled.

"Edmund," Lucy said, running over to her brother and taking him by the arm, but he shoved her off the way that Caspian shoved Airies.

"I'm tired of playing second fiddle. First it was Peter, now it's you. You know I'm braver than both of you. And why did you get Peter's sword?" Edmund shouted.

"Why did you get Airies? I've been there for her. I've done more for her. I deserve her," Caspian shouted back.

Lucy grabbed Airies by the hand, looking up into the older girl's face. Her eyes were fierce, like that of an angry lion's.

"I love her. You don't deserve her. You don't deserve to rule. I deserve a kingdom of my own! I deserve to rule!" Edmund yelled, taking a step closer.

"You think you're so brave… prove it!" Caspian challenged, shoving Edmund away from him.

With an angry yell, Edmund whipped his sword at Caspian. They began to duel, but Lucy quickly intervened, as she always seemed to be intervening between the two of them these days.

"Stop it!" she shouted while getting in the middle of their fight. "Both of you!" she added, looking them both in the eye.

"Can't you see what's happening? This place has tempted you. It's bewitching you. This is exactly what Coriarchin was talking about. Let's just get out of here," Lucy said.

At this point, Airies walked up to Lucy, wrapping her arm around the younger Queen's shoulders. She glared at both Caspian and Edmund, shaking her head sadly.

"Airies, I-" they both began, but she cut them off.

"We'll talk about this later," she growled before leading Lucy out of the cave.

Edmund and Caspian looked at each other, ashamed of what had just happened, of what they had just said. Caspian turned around and left, leaving Edmund to stare into the pond alone. With a sigh, he tossed the gold shell back into the water before turning around and following them out of the cave.

Then, the four of them, though they were not on speaking terms at the moment, walked back to the shore.

"What food did you find?" Caspian asked, looking into nearly empty baskets.

"It's volcanic, your majesty. Not much grows," Rhince told him.

"Anyone seen that blighter, Eustace?" Edmund asked, looking around the shore. Eustace was nowhere to be found. He had disappeared.

"Eustace!" Lucy called out, and the crew members joined her.

"Edmund, I've got a bad feeling," she said after a few tries of more calling. Her face was scared.

"We'll find him, Lucy, don't worry," Airies comforted her.

"I'll go find him," Edmund said, rolling his eyes.

"I'll come with you," Caspian offered, causing Edmund to stop dead in his tracks.

"And me," Airies agreed. "Lucy, you stay here, help Drinian load the boats. We'll be back as fast as we can."

The three of them walked off of the shore and back onto the rocky terrain, calling out Eustace's name.

"Airies, listen," Caspian began.

"Don't, it was tempt talking. I know that," she said, brushing past him and leading their party up a rocky mountain side.

"That doesn't erase the fact that I hurt you. And for that I am so sorry," he told her, catching her by the hand and pulling her to a stop.

And she was positive that his words had a double meaning, he was apologizing for the fact that he kissed her, and for what had happened in the cave.

"So am I. I didn't mean any of it. And Caspian, I'm sorry too. Temptation does not sit well with me," Edmund said, hanging his head in shame, and Airies grabbed his hand lightly.

"If this," she began, pointing back and forth between her and Edmund, "is too much for both of you, I'm going to have to put an end to it."

"No!" Edmund and Caspian both nearly shouted.

"It's fine. Please don't do this because of me. After… our incident, I couldn't help but think about my actions. And I realize that you're happy, happier than you have been in years. It's always been Peter and Edmund, I understand that now. Just like it's always been Susan for me. I've acted childish, and I'm putting that behind me," Caspian told them.

Airies smiled serenely and leaned over to kiss his cheek.

"Thank you, Caspian. That means a lot to me," she whispered in his ear.

"Come on, let's find Eustace," she then said, pulling them both along behind her.

They called out his name, trudging along the rocky ground, until they came to a ditch, in which held thousands of pieces of gold, and jewelry.

"Treasure," Edmund stated.

"Trouble," Caspian corrected, leading the other two down into the ditch.

They searched around the ditch, seeing if they could find any sign that Eustace had been down there, and eventually they found it in the form of a burnt shoe. Further investigation of the treasure lead to them finding all of Eustace's clothing burnt to ash.

"No!" Edmund cried, flinging himself to the ground and searching through Eustace's clothes.

Airies and Caspian bent down next to him, they both put a hand on either of his shoulders.

"My cousin," he whispered.

"I'm sorry," Caspian said quietly, while Airies hold of his shoulder grew tighter.

"He was just a boy. I never should have left him," Edmund cried.

"No, Ed, it wasn't your fault," Airies whispered, resting her head against his.

"Airies, you didn't see… anything? Can you see him now?" Edmund asked her.

Airies looked away from him, her eyes growing distant and foggy. After a few moments, they came back to normal.

"I can't see him. But I don't believe he's dead," she began.

"What could have happened to him?" Edmund questioned.

"In this place… anything," Caspian answered, standing up and looking around.

"And he wasn't the first," he added, coming across a skeleton resting against the rock wall.

"This is Lord Octesian. We should find his-"

"Sword," Edmund finished.

Caspian spun around to see that Edmund had found the sword hidden among all of the treasure. Without another word, Edmund led the group back to the shore, silent tears rolling down his cheeks.

With a nod from Caspian, Airies quickly wrapped her arms around Edmund's waist, walking in time and in step with him.

"Ed, I really think he's alive. We'll find him, you'll see," she whispered.

"His clothes were burned to ash, there's no sign of him there. I won't believe it until I see it," he whispered as she pressed her lips to his temple.

Suddenly, Airies stopped walking and came to a complete stop. Edmund spun around as Caspian came running up to her. Her eyes were once again distant.

"What are you seeing?" Caspian asked her as they both grabbed her by the arm.

Her eyes came back and she was now the one grabbing at their arms.

"We've got to go. There's a dragon trying to take down the Dawn Treader," she told them before running in the direction of the shore.

Right as they made it to the boats, they heard the most horrible roar directly behind them.

Caspian and Airies spun around just in time to see a large dragon flying right at them, but they were able to duck in order to miss it.

Edmund, however, was not so lucky.

"Edmund!" Caspian shouted right as Edmund spun around into the clutches of the dragons claws.

"Edmund, no!" Airies screamed chasing after the beast. But it was of no use. The dragon was already too high in the air to be caught.

"Airies!" they heard him shout.

She started running after the dragon, but Caspian caught her around the waist.

"No! You're no match for a dragon on your own, and you know that. We'll get a party back here, search for them, and take the dragon down," Caspian told her.

He pulled Susan's horn out from underneath his tunic and called the ship.

Just as some of the crew members were returning to land, the dragon came back, landing with Edmund still in his grasp, but he was unscathed and unharmed as far as they could all tell.

Airies and Caspian pulled out their swords and charged the beast, but Edmund stood in front of it, his arms held out wide.

"No, stop! It's Eustace," he told them.

"He must have been tempted by the treasure," Edmund explained.

Meanwhile, Eustace the dragon sat behind them, scratching his arm against the ground, trying to remove a gold bracelet that was far too tight for his wide arms.

"Well, everyone knows a dragon's treasure is enchanted," Caspian said.

At this, Eustace stopped trying to get the bracelet off and growled at Caspian.

"Well, everyone from this world, that is," Caspian corrected, sending an apologetic look towards Eustace.

"Eustace, do you want me to try?" Lucy asked as she walked over to him.

They watched as the youngest Pevencie sibling walked up to the dragon, slowly taking the bracelet in her tiny hands, and then she gave it a hard yank, pulling the bracelet clean off of the dragon's arm, resulting in a loud roar escaping his mouth.

"Is there any way to change him back?" Edmund asked Caspian, who looked to Drinian for answers, but the captain just shook his head.

"Airies?" Edmund asked, turning to her.

"I don't know," she admitted, unsure of whether or not her powers would work on a dragon. They were by far the most magical of beasts in Narnia.

"Try, please," he begged.

Airies nodded and walked up to the dragon. She placed her hands against its head on both sides of its face and looked at the creature deep in the eyes. A blue light shown beneath her fingers and then… nothing happened.

"I'm sorry, Eustace. My powers don't work like that," she said sadly, taking a step back.

"Aunt Alberta will not be pleased," Edmund said, still trying to make a joke even in this dim situation.

"The boats are ready sire!" Tavros announced then, and they all looked around at each other.

"We can't leave him," Lucy said, looking straight at Caspian. Only he had the power to decide what they did.

"Drinian, you take one of the boats back and we'll stay here and try to sort things out," Caspian responded to her plea.

"But your majesty, you'll have no provisions, and no way of staying warm," Rhince interjected.

At that, Eustace looked around, before breathing out deeply and setting a fire on a couple of sticks that lay on the beach.

"You were saying?" Reepicheep joked, causing everyone to laugh.

"Well done, Eustace," Airies praised him, patting him lightly on the head.

As night came upon them, they all fell to their places around the fire. Airies stayed off to the side, her body tingling with magic and her heart racing. She had no idea what was going on, but she knew that she needed to stay awake and alert.

She listened to Caspian and Edmund talk quietly, and then she tuned in to what Lucy and Gael were talking about. Each group was talking about their parents, and Airies wished that she could see Aslan just then.

Then, she heard the sound of crying and she sat up, only to find that it was Eustace. She couldn't imagine how hard this was for him. This morning he hadn't even known that dragons existed, and now tonight he was one.

She stood up and walked over to him, but saw that Reepicheep got there first.

She listened to him offer to stay up with Eustace to keep him company, and then she heard him say, "You know extraordinary things only happen to extraordinary people. Maybe it's a sign that you've got an extraordinary destiny, something greater than you could have imagined. "

"He's right you know," Airies said quietly, stepping over to them and sitting down.

"I have a good feeling about you, Eustace. And most of the time my feelings are right. You've been granted a gift. And it is going to take you on a magnificent adventure," she told him.

"I could tell you a few stories if you like, help you fall asleep. Believe it or not, you're not the first dragon I've encountered. Many years ago, too many that I'd like to mention, I was with a band of pirates and I met a dragon, much fiercer than you…" he trailed off into his story, and Airies settled in, resting against Eustace's scaly body.

She reached up to his head and gently stroked the scales lightly, comforting him as Reepicheep told his story.

Soon, both the mouse and the dragon were fast asleep, but Airies was still awake. Her heart was still racing and her body was still tingling, and then, she heard a crunching sound in the sand behind her, and it was moving towards the right of their camp. She then saw a shadow come out behind some rocks and run towards the rocks in the water.

Airies picked up her sword and slowly and cautiously made her way over to the water, where she saw a figure bending down, dipping his hands in the watery sand and then allowing it to drip down from his fingers.

Airies came out from behind her rock and pointed her sword at the trespasser.

"Who are you and what business do you have here?" she growled.

"I think you know who I am," the figure said.

And that she did.

Airies let the sword drop from her hands and whispered, "Peter?"

The figure turned around, and it was, in fact, Peter, the moonlight reflecting off of his golden hair, and Airies almost fainted at the sight. She dropped to her knees in the water, feeling lightheaded and woozy, and Peter quickly followed her.

He scooped her into his arms and kissed her hair, her ear, her cheeks, he kissed everything that he could.

"Sh, Airies. I love you. I love you," he whispered.

Tears poured out of Airies' eyes. She couldn't believe that Peter was here, right now, holding her, kissing her. He was with her. She looked up into his face, and kissed him, hard. She had missed kissing him, and she wasn't going to miss any opportunity that she had now.

She pulled away, but only held onto him tighter, afraid to let him go for fear of him disappearing altogether.

"How is this possible?" she questioned.

"I'm not sure, but I know it won't last long, so I don't want to waste what little time we do have together," he said before kissing her again.

This time when he pulled away, there were tears in his eyes and Airies rested her hands against his cheeks.

"What is it?" she asked.

Peter held onto her hands and said, "I just love you so much," cause Airies to kiss him again, and Peter to laugh against her lips.

"You're soaked, I'm sorry," he joked and Airies laughed too.

"It's alright. Nothing a little love won't be able to solve."

Peter helped her up and together they sat on top of one of the large boulders in the water facing the moon.

They talked well into the night. Peter explained to her the Professor's rings and how they were turned into the wardrobe that first brought them to Narnia. He then went on to explain how they cut off some of the wood from the wardrobe and turned them into rings yet again, and now they were just trying to perfect them. And Airies explained to him the Dawn Treader and their task ahead.

"How long do you have here?" Airies asked him after a while.

"I believe until sunrise," he answered.

She moved closer to him and whispered, "I miss you more and more every day."

"And I, you. Did Lucy give you my letter?"

"Yes, she did. I love you Peter, more than you could possibly know," she told him before kissing him yet again.

They shifted positions, giving them a better angle for kissing.

Then, Peter did something they had never done before. He touched the back of her bare knee and swung it over his hips, so that she was straddling his waist.

Airies gasped, but in approval. They kissed more deeply and now it was Airies turn to do something they had never done before.

She slid her hands down his chest and gently tugged at the hemline of Peter's shirt, before she slowly pulled the material over his head.

They attacked each other's lips again, with Airies hands roaming across his bare skin, and his fingers slipping underneath her tunic, pressing against the skin of her stomach.

Airies then moved to kiss along his the line of his jaw when he whispered, "We should stop."

Airies planted a kiss against his throat before pulling away from him and nodding.

"I know," she whispered back before turning around and sitting in between his legs, her back resting against his chest. He wrapped his arms around her, holding her tight, and kissed her hair.

"What do you think you'll find at the end of the world?" he asked her as they stared up at the stars that were slowly starting to dim.

"Honestly, I have no idea. I hope, as do the others, that we find Aslan's Country," she answered.

"Maybe Aslan's Country will bring you to me," he said.

"I hope that it does," she agreed before turning her head around and kissing him lightly.

"The morning comes," he sighed as their lips pulled apart.

He was right. It was that time where it was neither night nor morning, where the sun and moon were neither out nor gone, and both of their lights lit up the sky.

"I love you, Airies. Don't ever forget that," he told her.

"How could I? You promised," she laughed. "But I love you too, and I always will."

She watched as the sun slowly started to peek up over the horizon, and suddenly, Peter's arms were no longer wrapped around her, and she felt incredibly cold. Turning around, she realized that Peter was gone, sent back to England once more.

Slowly, she rose up from her sitting position and jumped down from the rock, making her way back to the camp, where Gael was slowly starting to wake up.

As Airies made her way back to her bed, something caught her eye: a blue ball of light was moving towards them from out over the water.

"Gael, do you see that?" Airies asked the little girl.

"The blue star!" Gael exclaimed, seeing what Airies was referring to. "Lucy, Lucy, wake up, it's the blue star!"

Airies quickly alerted the other crew members and they bounced out of bed and made their way back to the Dawn to start on their voyage.

"Well, Drinian, we've finally found it," Airies said to the captain with a laugh.

He nudged her slightly, and gave her a small smile before returning to his duty at the helm.

The trip, however, was not going well. The ship hit a calm, and there was no wind. The sailors had to row on their own, but they were making little progress without the help from the wind. The crew members were getting restless due to the fact that their food supply was running out.

Airies sat on the prow, where she frequently came when she was on her break from rowing. She wanted to help the crew out as much as possible. But they were still always in a beastly mood.

As she was sitting on the prow, thinking about their task ahead, she saw Eustace fly up to her, and he wrapped his tail around the mouth of the dragon on the prow, and pulled the ship forward, making it sail faster than it had in days.

"Eustace, that's brilliant!" she heard Edmund shout.

Reepicheep came running down Eustace's back, and Airies said, "I'll take over for a while."

She climbed up his tail and settled down on his back.

"Well done, Eustace. You're doing very well," she said while patting him on the head.

He roared in thanks and flapped his wings harder.

"No need to push yourself, I can help you out," she told him.

She blew out a breath of air from her lungs, and a soft wind, soft but steady, blew past them in the air, helping Eustace pull the ship along.

"We'll get there in no time now, all thanks you to you, my friend," she said, planting a kiss against his scaly head.

And Eustace roared in happiness, for once feeling like he was truly accepted and wanted here.

That night, the crew slept dreamlessly as Eustace pulled the ship ahead. Nearly everyone was sleeping, everyone besides Lucy and Airies.

"Lucy?" Airies called out into the dark.

"Yes?" Lucy whispered.

"Peter was here last night," Airies said quietly.

She felt Lucy sit bolt upright and then she heard her say, "Come, we'll talk outside so as to not wake Gael," before taking her by the hand and leading her to the prow, where they sat and gazed up at the blue star.

"Peter was here, in Narnia?" Lucy then asked, and Airies nodded.

"Yes, he used those rings that Professor Kirke used to make the wardrobe. It only lasted until sunrise though."

"It must have been amazing, being with him again," Lucy stated.

"Yes, it was. But I'm so torn, Lucy. I care about Edmund, a lot, but I love Peter," Airies cried.

"It's okay, you know, to love them both," Lucy told her, holding her hand in comfort.

"It's easy now because Peter is England and Edmund is here, but what about if we all come together again. What do I do then?"

"Your heart will tell you exactly what it wants. You just have to trust it. It will always lead you the right way," the younger girl advised her.

"But either way, I hurt someone in the process."

"Both of my brothers love you unconditionally, and they will understand whatever choice you make. It is up to you, Airies, not them. Edmund knows that you love him deeply, but he also knows where your heart truly lies. He will never make you choose between himself and Peter. He knows who you will choose, and he's okay with that. He's always known that it's been Peter. But he's grateful that you have given yourself a chance to love him, and for him to love you without Peter being around. Don't you worry about it, though, things will turn out right when we're all together again, you'll see."

They both looked back up at the blue star, and Airies felt hope run through her, as it always did after she talked with Lucy. Lucy was the epitome of faith. She knew exactly what to say whenever a person was losing their faith, and Airies felt that she was losing it more frequently.

But as long as Lucy was around, she knew that she would always get it back in the end.

* * *

_**Author's Note: **__So Airies and Peter were reunited once again, if only for a little while, and their meeting was rather intimate, but they've been away from each other for a long time, and I don't really think it was all __**that**__ intimate, if you catch my drift._

_Anyway, please review and let me know what you thought about all of it. I love receiving any kind of comment, and I appreciate everything. And as always, thank you for reading :)_


	8. Chapter 8

With Eustace's help pulling the ship along, they finally found their way to Ramandu's Island. Edmund led the way up the mountain, lighting their path with his torch.

"I'm glad you saved this for me, Caspian, it's been of great use to us," Edmund thanked the king, who just nodded and smiled in return.

Once they reached the top of the mountain, they came to a ruin, in which lay a table filled with delicious plates of food. It was a feast that none of them had ever laid eyes on before.

"Look!" Edmund said, pointing his finger to the very end of the table.

"What are those?" Lucy asked. "It looks like three beavers to me."

"Or a huge bird's nest," Edmund suggested.

"It looks more like a haystack to me," Caspian said.

That's when Edmund shined his torch on the something, and everyone jumped back in fright, pulling out their swords.

Three men stared up at them, unblinking and covered in moss and branches.

Edmund and Caspian got closer, and Caspian examined the rings that each of the men were wearing.

"These are the Lord Revilian, Argoz and Mavramorn," he announced. "And he's breathing," Caspian added upon further investigation of one of the men.

"So are they," Edmund told him, nodding to the other two Lords.

"They've been put under a sleeping spell. Do you not feel the magic surrounding this place?" Airies pointed out.

Caspian looked around, realization showing on his face.

"It's the food!" he shouted in warning, causing the crew members to drop whatever food they had raised to their mouths.

Airies didn't agree with this assumption, though she didn't have a chance to say anything about it because Edmund then shouted, "Wait, that's the stone knife. This is Aslan's table!"

"Their swords," Caspian whispered before him, Edmund, Lucy and Airies hurried to get all of the swords placed together on the table.

But even after they were put down on the table, still nothing happened.

"Hang on, that's only six," Edmund pointed out.

"There's still one missing," Caspian added.

Then, under the crew's watchful gaze, the six swords glowed blue, and then the blue light grew from the swords and filled up the entire room.

"Look!" came Lucy's voice.

She was staring up at the sky. The blue star, the one that had led them here, was floating down towards them.

The entire room filled up with the bright blue light and then, standing before them in the spot where the star had been floating seconds before, was a beautiful woman dressed in an all-white gown. She had pale skin and even paler hair, and she was surrounded by the warm, blue light, which reached to each of the Narnians and spread warmth throughout their bodies.

"Travelers of Narnia, welcome," she said to them with a smile.

The Narnians bowed in presence, knowing without knowing how that there was a very important figure standing in front of them.

"Arise, are you not hungry?" she then asked as she looked between the crew and the untouched food.

"Who are you?" Edmund asked her.

"I'm-"

"Liliandil," Airies cut her off, stepping up to her.

"Airies?" she asked, a wide smile breaking out across her face.

Airies ran over to Liliandil and threw her arms around her, happiness surging throughout her body.

"I was hoping it would be you when Coriarchin told us we would be following stars," she told her.

"Airies, you know her?" Caspian asked.

"She was my playmate when I was a baby here," Airies explained, "or, more like my guardian."

"I am the daughter of Ramandu. I am your guide," Liliandil explained further.

"You're a star?" Caspian asked her, and she nodded in response.

"You are most beautiful," he then said, completely mesmerized by the sight of her.

"If it is a distraction for you, I can change form," Liliandil suggested, but Caspian was horrified by that offer.

"No!" he nearly shouted in disapproval.

Airies looked at Lucy and together the two girls rolled their eyes.

Liliandil smiled at Caspian before saying, "The food is for you. There is enough for all at Aslan's Table. Come, help yourselves," to the rest of the crew, who didn't need to be asked twice before digging into the food before them.

"Wait, what happened to them?" Edmund asked, indicating the three sleeping Lords at the end of the table.

"These men were half mad by the time they reached our shores. They threatened violence upon each other. Violence is forbidden at the table of Aslan, so they were sent to sleep," Liliandil told them.

"Will they ever wake?" Lucy asked sadly.

"When all is right," she answered Lucy with a smile. "Come, there is little time," she added before leading them outside.

"I have been watching you from my place among the stars, Airies. You have proved most strong these past few years," Liliandil said while squeezing Airies hand.

"I've tried to be. I've missed you. I was hoping that once I came back, you would come down and visit," Airies admitted.

"Perhaps in the future, my love. The life of a star is very trying," she laughed before kissing Airies on the cheek.

She then turned around to face the others and said, "The magician, Coriarchin, told you of Dark Island?"

"Yes. He said to break the spell, all seven swords must be laid at Aslan's Table," Caspian answered.

"He speaks the truth."

"But we only have six. Do you know where the seventh one is?" Edmund questioned, and Liliandil pointed out across the sea to Dark Island.

"In there. You will need great courage."

She turned to face them again and said, "There is no time to waste."

"I hope we meet again," Caspian told her, staring into her eyes.

Liliandil smiled at him and bowed her head. "Goodbye."

With that, a great white light surrounded her and she turned back into a star and sailed straight back into the sky.

They quickly took off and sailed straight for Dark Island.

Airies paced the ship back and forth, nervous about the task to come. Edmund and Caspian were down in their cabin getting ready for the battle ahead, and most likely strategizing about what to do. They had said that they did not want any visitors or interruptions at this time, but Airies didn't care. She needed to see them, and she needed to see them now.

With a loud bang of the door, she stepped into the room, and Caspian and Edmund could both see that her entire body was shaking.

"Airies?" Caspian asked.

"I'm scared," she admitted, shaking her head ever so slightly.

"You've never been scared of a battle before," Edmund pointed out.

"I've always known what was going to come from those battles, but I don't know what's going to come from this. I don't know what to expect in there. What if I can't protect you, protect any of you?" she cried, her body trembling in fear.

Edmund rushed over to her and wrapped his arms around her.

"Hey, listen to me. We will get through this. We'll all be protecting each other. You don't have to do this alone. We will defeat the darkness. It's just another fight, you'll see," he whispered to her, taking her face gently in between his hands, calming her immediately.

"You think we can do this?" she asked both of them.

"I know we can do this. Gather the crew on the deck. I have something I want to say before we go in this," Caspian requested before exiting the cabin, leaving Edmund and Airies alone to do his bidding.

Airies walked towards the door, but Edmund grabbed her arm, keeping her from leaving out.

"What is it?" she asked, but instead of answering he slid his hand down into hers and pulled her to him, planting a kiss on her lips.

"Thank you, for giving us a chance," he whispered to her as pulled away from her.

"Thank you for making me realize my feelings," she whispered back.

"We will make it through this, I have a good feeling, and I believe that it is my magic talking to me," Edmund told her.

"You're the expert on magic now?" she laughed.

"Aye, I think I am, especially when I can hear your heart. That is when my magic is at its strongest," he said, and Airies kissed him in response.

"That's when mine is at its strongest as well. And if we stay together, it will be even stronger."

"What gave you the idea that I'd be letting you get away from me during this battle? I need you to be strong, Airies, you know that as well as I do," he questioned.

"We need _each other_ to be strong, and we will stick together. Good luck, my king," she said before kissing him again.

"For Narnia," he whispered before leading her out of the cabin to gather the crew.

* * *

_**Author's Note:**__ Unfortunately, this chapter is a little bit shorter than the rest, but it's only going to get better and longer from here. Thank you to those who have reviewed and added this story to their favorites so far. And please, keep it coming. I love reviews of any kind. Tell me anything that you thought of while reading this. _

_As always, thank you for reading, and I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and all of the others before it :)_


	9. Chapter 9

Once everyone was gathered on the deck, Caspian stood before them, ready to make a great speech.

"No matter what happens here, every one of you has earned your place as a part of the crew of the Dawn Treader. Together we have traveled far. Together we have faced danger. Together we can do it again. Our world, our Narnian lives depend on it. So now is not the time to fall to these temptations. Be strong. Never give in. Think of the lost souls we're here to save. Think of Aslan. Think of Narnia."

As he stepped down from the stairs, one of the crew members shouted, "For Narnia!" and soon, every person aboard the Dawn Treader were cheering the same words.

Caspian looked over to Edmund, who nodded at him in approval. Since Caspian had told Edmund down in their cabin that he thought of him as a brother, Edmund felt closer to the king than he ever had before.

"For Narnia," Airies whispered, looking up at Edmund.

"For Narnia," he whispered back, before bringing his lips down upon hers.

The ship sailed into the darkness, immediately being surrounded by the green mist. Caspian walked over to Airies and Edmund, and Airies grasped his hand as Edmund wrapped his arm around her waist, holding her tightly against him. The three of them were there to comfort and protect each other.

"_You are a great disappointment to me. You call yourself my son, and act like a king_," the mist said to Caspian, taking the form of his father.

Airies felt Caspian cringe next to her and she looked up at him. His eyes were sad, yet angry, and she squeezed his hand in comfort. She could see the mist swirling around him, and she could only imagine what it was saying to him. So to comfort him more, she closed her eyes, holding tight to his hand, and sent her own magic to pulse throughout his blood, making him stronger, and she opened her eyes in time to see Caspian shaking his head at the mist, causing it to disappear.

"_Edmund, come with me. Be my king. I'll let you rule_," the mist said to Edmund, this time taking the form of Jadis, reappearing in front of them, but no one other than Edmund could see that it was Jadis.

Airies rested her head against his, letting him know that she was there, for though she could not see Jadis, she could hear Edmund's heartbeat come to a dead stop, and she could feel his body turning cold, an effect that only the White Witch could have on him.

"Go away. You're dead," Edmund growled at the mist, confirming to Airies that it was Jadis who was trying to tempt him.

"_You can never kill me. I'll always be alive… in your mind, silly boy_," the witch taunted him.

"NO!" Edmund shouted, and the mist disappeared at his command.

"Well done, Ed," Airies whispered kissing his cheek.

"_Airies, don't waste your time anymore. I've broken my promise. I no longer love you. I've stopped trying to come back to you. I'm better off without you_," the mist said to her, changing into Peter's form in front of her. It seemed that the mist was changing and reappearing whenever it failed with one person. It was trying to find the weakest crew member on board to be tempted.

Airies gasped and took a step back, but Caspian held tight to her hand and Edmund held tight to her waist, whispering words of comfort into her ear.

Airies closed her eyes, and took a deep breath. "That's not true. I know it's not," she growled at the mist, and it faded away from her.

"Well done," Caspian and Edmund said to her, squeezing her tight.

Just then, a howling sound erupted around them, echoing off the rock walls of the Island. The crew looked around, trying to decipher what the noise could be, when the howling turned into a voice.

"Keep away!" it shouted at them.

"Who's there?" Edmund called out.

"We do not fear you!" Reepicheep added.

"Nor I you," the voiced called back.

Edmund quickly grabbed his torch and shined it out over the water. The light landed on a rock, on which they found the source of the voice.

"Keep away!"

It was a man with a long, uncut and unkempt beard, wearing tattered and ripped clothing, holding onto a silver sword in perfectly good shape.

"We will not leave," Caspian told the man.

"You will not defeat me!" the man shouted at the ship, brandishing his sword, allowing the crew members to get a better look at its fine detail.

"Caspian, his sword!" Edmund alerted him. It was one of the Lord's swords.

"Lord Rhoop! Get him on board, quickly," Caspian ordered his men.

That's when Eustace came flying down, scooping up the Lord and dropping him on the deck of the ship. He was trying to help in any way that he could, because, truth be told, Eustace was very scared to be in this island, even with Reepicheep telling him to be brave. But he figured that if he could find a way to help out on the ship, it would make him less scared than he really was.

"Good job, Eustace," Airies praised him.

"Be calm my lord," Caspian said as Rhoop jumped up, swinging his sword around at the crew members.

"No, my lord, we are not here to harm you. I am your king, Caspian."

Lord Rhoop stopped swinging his sword, and slowly turned around to face Caspian.

"Caspian, my lord. You should not have come. There's no way out of here. Quickly, turn around before it is too late," he warned.

"We have the sword, let's go!" Edmund agreed.

"Turn her around, Drinian," Caspian ordered.

"Do not think. Do not let it know your fears, or it will become them," Rhoop gave them another warning, sounding frantic.

"Oh no," Edmund whispered seconds later, his eyes shut tight.

"Edmund, what did you just think of?" Lucy cried.

"Oh, I'm sorry," he apologized while running over to the side of the ship and looking out over the water.

There were several large rocks poking above the water's edge, and up until now they were completely still, but now they started to move and dip above and below the water. And then, something pushed at the boat from the bottom, knocking everyone onto the ground.

"What is that?" Caspian asked, pointing at the moving rocks.

"It's under the boat!" one of the men shouted.

And then out from the water, towering above them looking menacing was a giant sea serpent. It towered above the ship, it black eyes piercing into each crew member, it sharp teeth barred at them, threatening them to try to kill it.

Everyone pulled out their swords pointing them up at the creature. They had accepted the creatures challenge.

And as it moved toward them, ready to strike down on them, Eustace came flying out of nowhere, attacking the creature with a breath of fire. He hooked onto the serpent's face, clawing at its eyes and attacking it with all that he had. But the serpent was too strong; it shook Eustace off of its face, sending him crashing upon a large rock.

The crew watched in horror as the Serpent advanced on the weakened dragon, and just as he was about to attack, Eustace looked up and breathed another huge breath of fire at it.

As the serpent dove back under the water to avoid another attack from Eustace, Lord Rhoop screamed, "Die creature!" and chucked his sword at the dragon.

"The sword!" Caspian shouted at the same time that Lucy screamed Eustace's name, and the dragon roared in pain. Eustace sat up and shot into the air, starting to fly away.

"No, Eustace, come back!" Lucy screamed.

Right as Eustace flew by the side of the ship, Airies made a run for it, leaping over the starboard side and landing on Eustace's back.

"Airies!" Edmund shouted her name.

"I'll get the sword, and then I'll come back!" she shouted back as Eustace flew out of the cave.

"It's alright, Eustace, I'll get you out of this. I'll help you," she whispered into the dragon's ear.

They flew to a tiny island in the middle of the sea, where Eustace landed with a crash on the warm, white sand. Airies rolled off of his back as the dragon sent the sand flying up into the air with his heavy crash. She quickly recovered and got up, moving over to his side.

"Eustace, this may hurt for a moment, but I'll make it go away," she promised, right before she grabbed on to Lord Rhoop's sword and pulled it out of his body.

The dragon howled in pain, but Airies quickly placed her hands over the stab wound and healed it with her magic. A bright green light shown underneath her fingers, and soon the wound vanished, as well as Eustace's howling.

She then stood up and looked to the sky before she screamed, "ASLAN!"

And then, there he was in front of her.

"Help him, please," she begged, and at her command the lion started pawing at the ground, and Eustace's scales started shedding off.

"Go back to them, all is well here. This is Eustace's battle now," Aslan told her, nodding his head towards the sword and still making scratches into the sand. And Airies knew that he meant that Eustace would get the sword to the Table with the others.

Airies closed her eyes, picturing Edmund's face and the sound of his heartbeat, and in the blink of an eye she was standing beside him on the prow.

"Airies!" he shouted in surprise.

"Eustace is with Aslan. All is well there. But what do you think you're doing here?" she shouted at him, taking in the sight of him in front of her. He was balancing himself on the mouth of the prow, holding his sword in one hand, and shining his light in the other.

"Provoking the serpent. We're going to smash it against the rocks," he explained to her.

"Well let me help you," she said before holding up her hand.

A beam of bright white light shot out of her hand, colliding with the beast and blinding him. It screamed and then immediately advanced on Airies and Edmund in the prow.

"Come on, try and kill me! Come on, I'm here!" Edmund shouted, provoking it even more.

The serpent charged at the prow, nearly capturing Edmund in its mouth, grabbing the head of the prow with its sharp teeth, but Airies quickly pulled him out of the way and dragged him up on top of the prow, so that they were no longer standing inside it.

"Brace yourselves!" Caspian shouted, right before the Dawn rammed the serpent into the rocks. They hit the rocks with much force, knocking Edmund off balance, causing him and Airies to fall off of the prow and onto the deck several stories below.

Edmund groaned as Airies held the back of her head.

"You alright?" they asked each other, as Caspian ran over to them, helping them both up.

They looked up and watched in terror as the sea serpent split in half, showing them it's tentacles on the inside of itself, and it nearly doubled in size. If they thought the beast was scary before, now it was of utmost horror to all of them.

It charged at Edmund, trying to get to him again, but Caspian dove at Edmund, pushing him out of the way. As the serpent slammed down onto the ship, Caspian swung his sword and it connected with the creature, cutting off one of its tentacles, which quickly vanished into thin air after being dislocated from the body.

"We can beat this," Caspian growled to them.

"We have to get it closer. Airies, let's go!"

Edmund grabbed her hand and pulled her up onto the side of the ship. He grabbed a rope that was dangling down from the mast, and Airies held onto his waist as he swung them up onto the ladder of the birds nest.

Airies pulled him up next to her, and watched as the crew below shot their harpoons at the serpent, and used all of their might to pull the creature down closer to them.

"Get ready," Airies whispered, but they both froze as the green mist surrounded them again, but just as soon, it left Airies and enveloped itself around Edmund's body, and they both knew right away: Jadis was back for more.

"Ed," Airies whispered, steadying him.

"_Edmund, what are you trying to prove, Edmund? That you're a man? I can make you that. I can make you my king. Just take my hand_," she told him.

Edmund stared into Jadis' eyes, tempted by her offer. His brain screamed at him that this was wrong. He knew what she was, knew what she did. He hated himself for letting her still have control over him after all these years, but he just could not look away.

"Edmund, you don't have to listen to her. You know what she is, Ed," Airies whispered, gripping his shoulder tightly. "Only you can finish this, Ed, you have Rhindon, it's the only way."

She hoped she was saying the right thing for she had no idea what Jadis was telling him, and that worried her more than anything. If she had no way of knowing what the mist was trying to tempt him with, she didn't know how she'd be able to help him come back to her, come back to the crew and away from the Witch.

And just as Edmund started turning away from the mist, Jadis whispered, "_She's going to leave you, you know that don't you Edmund? You know she really doesn't want you. It's always been Peter. I can change that. I can make her want you. I can make her love you, never giving Peter a second glance again. I can make her yours. That's what you want, isn't it?"_

And Edmund turned back to the mist-shaped Jadis.

This much he knew was true. After he left, he knew that Airies would go right back to Peter. He knew that he, Edmund, was only a replacement, and she felt nothing other than friendly feelings towards him, and she was only humoring him for the time being.

Of course that's what he wanted; he wanted to be with her always, he wanted to be the one holding her at night, the one who kissed her, and made her smile in only the way that she could for Peter. He wanted it to be him that she was in love with, not his brother. He knew of the White Witch's powers. She could do that. She could make Airies fall in love with him.

"_Just give in_," Jadis told him, still trying to convince him, and he took a step forward, closer to the mist.

"Edmund, I love you," Airies whispered, her voice full of love and sorrow, and something inside of Edmund finally snapped.

This whole time that they had been together, Airies had yet to usher those three words that meant so much to Edmund, those three words that he had so desperately wanted to hear escape her lips. And he knew in that moment, that she meant it. He could hear her heart fluttering wildly in the same way that his did whenever he looked at her. She wasn't saying it now just to make him stronger or anything like that. He knew Airies, probably better than anyone, and she would never say something if she didn't mean it. And that could only mean one thing.

Airies loved him.

His sword, Peter's sword, glowed blue, and there was fire in Edmund's eyes. The ice that had been flowing through his veins at the return of Jadis melted at the new feeling that entered his body, this new feeling of fire and warmth: love.

He turned away from the White Witch, shouted, "Come on!" to the sea serpent, and stabbed his sword straight through the serpent's head as it charged at him.

Jadis screamed in defeat as the mist vanished. Light started to break through Dark Island's walls, and the darkness finally started to fade away.

Airies pulled Edmund into a hug. He was trembling from head to foot.

"Edmund, you did so well," she whispered into his ear, holding him tightly.

"She knew all of my doubts and fears. I was so tempted, Airies. She was saying things, telling me that she could do all sorts of things for me by using he powers. And I knew- I _know_ what she is. She's evil, she 'll never be able to help me. She tricked me once, and I almost let it happen again. I'm so sorry," he cried to her, tears leaking out of his eyes, and Airies held him tigheter.

"Sh, Edmund, you have nothing to be sorry about. She did not get to you this time, and she will never get to you again. You've vanquished her, once and for all. Jadis is gone. She has no control over you anymore," she whispered into his ear.

"I love you," he said into her neck, holding her close, and breathing heavily.

"I love you too. I mean it, Edmund, you must know that I meant it when I said it before," she said back, looking into his eyes, willing him to believe her.

It was a split second decision to say those three words to him before, but it was a decision that she would never regret. She loved Edmund, and not just loved him, but she was in love with him. She really did know it all along; she just wasn't ready to admit it, because of the fact that she was so in love with Peter, her soul mate. But Edmund was just as important to her, just as dear to her heart as Peter was. And she really did love him.

"I know. You wouldn't have said it if you didn't mean it. That's what made me turn away from her, you know. You saved me once again," he said with a smile, and a nod of thanks.

"I'll always be there to save you," she said before kissing him gently.

Together, they climbed down from the birds nest and joined in the cheering with the rest of the crew members. Dark Island had been defeated and hundreds of boats holding the lost souls that had been sacrificed to the mist sailed out in front of them.

Edmund and Airies walked up to the prow, just to get away from the excitement for a while. They looked out over the water. There was something white ahead, and the air began to have a certain sweet smell to it.

"That's Aslan's Country," Airies said quietly. "We made it."

* * *

_**Author's Note:**__ Well here is the chapter that I'm sure most of you have been waiting for, the Dark Island scene. I thought that the scene was really well done in the move (though I'll never understand why it was a sea serpent that Edmund chose as his fear instead of Jadis), and I hope my writing did it justice. Please let me know what you think, as always, I love hearing what everyone has to say. _

_And of course, thank you for reading! :)_


	10. Chapter 10

Caspian, the two Pevencie children, their cousin, who was now a boy again, Airies, and Reepicheep climbed into a long boat and rowed ahead to the end of the world.

"We're close. Can you feel it?" Airies asked Edmund, her body tingling with magic.

"My body's tingling all over," he agreed with a nod, feeling the same thing that she was.

"Magic," they both said together.

"I felt that when Aslan was changing me back," Eustace said quietly.

"What was it like?" Lucy asked him.

"No matter how hard I tried, I just couldn't do it myself. Then, he came towards me. It sort of hurt, but it was a good pain, like when you pull a sore from your foot… Being a dragon wasn't all bad. I mean, I think I was a better dragon than I was a boy, really… I'm sorry for being such a sop," he told them.

"It's okay, Eustace, you were a pretty good dragon," Edmund said with a smile. "You were far better off than I was my first time."

"Then let's not talk about it," Eustace said quickly, not wanting to make his cousin feel bad.

"Narnia changed you, Edmund, you never have to be that person again," Airies told him, reaching across the boat and gently grasping his hand.

"Just the same as it has changed you, Eustace," she then said, wrapping an arm around the boy's shoulders and he smiled at her in thanks.

"My friends, we have arrived," Reepicheep announced, his voice sounding very happy.

The others slowly looked past him to see a sandy beach in front of them, with waves towering high above them and rolling over and over, but never tumbling down upon the white sand. Magic kept the waves rolling in the air. This place was full of magic.

They got out of the longboat and slowly made their way towards the waves, all feeling both very nervous and very excited at the same time. No one knew what they would find here, but they all knew that it would be something great, and something different, for each of them.

"Aslan?" Eustace called out, stopping dead in his tracks, and the others spun around to see what he was talking about.

Aslan was, in fact, standing beside them, smiling happily at the children, his golden mane flashing at them in the sun, and his lion eyes sparkling with delight.

"Welcome, children. You have done well, very well indeed. You have come far, and now your journey is at an end," he told them.

"Is this your country?" Lucy asked.

"No, my country lies beyond," he answered, looking towards the waves.

"Is my father in your country?" Caspian questioned, staring at the waves, his eyes never leaving them.

Airies looked up at him. There was a strange look in his eye, and she took his hand in hers, giving him comfort once again.

"You can only find that out for yourself, my son. But you should know that if you continue, there is no return," the Great Lion told him.

Caspian stepped towards the waves, letting Airies hand slip from his. He dipped his hand into the water, letting it fall down around him, before turning his back to the waves and walking away from them, tears in his eyes.

"You're not going?" Edmund exclaimed.

"I can't believe my father would be very proud that I gave up what he died for. I spent too long wanting what was taken from me and not what was given. I was given a kingdom, and people. I promise to be a better king," he responded, looking directly at Aslan as he spoke.

"You already are," Aslan praised him.

Caspian then looked to Airies and she nodded at him, tears in her own eyes. This trip alone changed Caspian in great ways, and Aslan was right. He was already starting to be a better king to his people. Not giving in to his temptations to join his father was the first step to a new life for Caspian.

"Children?" Aslan looked to Edmund and Lucy now, and Lucy immediately walked forward towards the waves, a grin planted on her face. This is what she always wanted.

"I think perhaps it's time we went home actually, Lu," Edmund said, looking at Airies with sadness in his eyes, but she shook her head at him and gave him a small smile.

She understood now that Narnia was not their world; that they belonged in England, and she would not throw a childish fit the way that she did last time. She was older now, and much, much wiser.

"But I thought you loved it here?" Lucy asked her brother, incredulous. She could not believe that Edmund would be so willing to give this all up.

"I do, but I love home and our family as well. They need us," he told her.

Lucy bowed her head, tears leaking out of her eyes, but she knew that Edmund was right. She didn't want to be in Aslan's Country without the rest of her family with her. Despite how amazing it may be, it would be miserable without Peter, Susan and their parents by her side.

Airies wrapped her arms around Lucy, whispering comforting words into her hair. She knew how hard this was going to be for the young Queen to leave Narnia once again.

Reepicheep cleared his throat before running up to Aslan and bowing.

"Your Eminence, ever since I can remember, I have dreamt of seeing your country. I've had many great adventures in this world, but nothing has dampened that yearning. I know I am hardly worthy, but with your permission I would lay down my sword for the joy of seeing your country with my own eyes," Reepicheep waivered.

Aslan smiled at the little mouse and said, "My country was made for noble hearts as yours, no matter how small the bearers may be," earning another bow from Reepicheep.

"No one is more deserving than you," Caspian told him, and the mouse made to disagree but Edmund cut him off with a swift, "It's true."

Then, Lucy walked over to the mouse and sunk down to her knees in the sand before him.

"May I?" she asked his permission, and he, of course, knew right away what she was referring to.

"Well, I suppose, but just this once-OH!" he gasped, for Lucy had picked him up in his arms and hugged him tight, finally being able to do what she had wanted to do from the moment that she met the tiny warrior.

Gently, she set him back down as he said, "Goodbye Lucy."

As she walked back to her place beside Edmund, Eustace took her spot on the sand, tears pouring from his eyes.

"He's truly changed," Airies whispered to Edmund, resting her head against his shoulder.

"Narnia has that effect on people. I'm sorry, I must go," he apologized to her, his eyes pleading with her to understand, bringing her back to them time when Peter had the same look in his eye.

"Hush. It took me three years, but I understand now. England is your home. Your family is there. I can't expect you, or Peter for that matter, to leave them behind," she told him.

"But you're my family too, and I'm leaving you behind," he pointed out, but Airies shook her head.

"It's not goodbye forever, Ed. I feel certain that we will see each other again."

Airies looked away from Edmund and over to Reepicheep, who took off his tiny crown and bowed in her direction. Airies smiled at the mouse, before bowing in return. No words were spoken between the two friends; it was too hard for them to speak the hard words of goodbye. They had been through so much together, and it was going to end. So instead, they sent each other silent goodbyes of the utmost respect of a noble Knight of Narnia to his great Highness, Aslan's daughter.

They all then watched as Reepicheep loaded himself into a tiny coracle, leaving his sword in the sand, and then he rode over the waves into Aslan's Country.

"This is our last time, isn't it?" Lucy asked sadly once he was gone, and Airies closed her eyes, knowing what the answer would be.

"Yes. You have grown up, my Dear One, just like Peter and Susan," Aslan answered, and Edmund's hold on Airies tightened as Lucy walked over to Aslan, resting her hand against his furry mane.

She was crying, as were Airies and Edmund.

"Will you visit us in our world?" was Lucy's next question.

"I will be watching you always," the Lion told her.

"How?"

"In your world, I have another name. You must learn to know me by it. That was the very reason you were brought to Narnia: that by knowing me here for a little, you may know me better there."

"Will we meet again?" she questioned, holding tighter to his mane.

"Yes, Dear One, one day."

Then, Aslan turned towards the waves and roared loudly, causing the waves to part down the middle.

Airies let Edmund's hand slip from her fingers as he, Lucy and Eustace walked over to Caspian to say their final goodbyes.

"You're the closest thing I have to family, and that includes you, Eustace," Caspian told them.

Airies chose that moment to walk up to them as Edmund and Caspian embraced in a hug.

"Goodbye, Lucy," she said quietly, and Lucy hugged her tightly.

"I love you, Airies," she cried.

"And I love you, my sister." They were both crying harder now. They had grown very close during this voyage, and it was hard to part with each other now, at the time when their friendship was flourishing.

The two girls let go and Airies moved over to Eustace. She stopped directly in front of him, and he moved to bow to her, but she stopped him, and instead bowed herself.

"It has been my pleasure accompanying you on this miraculous journey, Eustace. I am glad that you ventured into Narnia with your cousins. It's been an exciting ride with you as part of the crew of the Dawn Treader," she praised him.

"No, it was my pleasure accompanying _you_. I'm glad I found my way here too. I never realized how much of a prat I was before this adventure, but I think I've found it in me to change and be a better person, a better kid. I'm sorry for the way that I acted when I first got here, and thank you for being so persistent and nice to me," he told her with a smile.

Airies smiled back and held out her hand to him, knowing very well that he didn't really like to get that physically close to people. But Eustace did something then that would surprise everyone. He took Airies hand in his, and then pulled her to him in a hug. She was surprised at first, but then she hugged him back, placing one arm around his shoulders, and resting her other hand on the back of his head.

Once they pulled away, it was finally Edmund's turn to move over to Airies, and he immediately wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her close to him and resting his head in the crook of her neck.

"I care for you deeply, Edmund," she whispered to him.

"I know, your heart is beating rapid fire right now," he chuckled, but tears fell from his eyes at the same time.

"I'll miss this," he said sadly, and she knew exactly what he meant, and strangely she felt the same way.

"As will I. I love you, Ed, you know that."

"I love you too," he said before taking her face in his hands and kissing her gently.

He pulled away from her, and he, Lucy and Eustace walked towards the waves. Tears poured from Airies eyes, and Caspian quickly walked over to her and wrapped his arm around her shoulders, letting her know that once again, he was here for her.

The three children turned around, giving Narnia and their friends' one last look before the waves closed around them, sending them back home.

Airies closed her eyes, waiting for the hurt and the pain to come back, but strangely, it did not cloud over her heart like she thought it would. She remembered how it felt like a gaping hole had been torn through her chest when they all left Narnia three years ago, and she expected that feeling to come back.

"Daughter," Aslan beckoned her, and she walked over to him, kneeling in the sand before him.

"I do not wish to cause you anymore pain. For you, your home is where your heart is, and your heart lies with Peter and his family in England. You may go to him, if you wish," the lion told her, smiling at her.

"Really?" she asked, skeptical, and he nodded at her.

"But what about Narnia, and you, and Caspian? My home is here too," she cried, feeling torn between two different things.

"My love, Narnia is in your blood. Unlike the Pevencies, this is your native land, and so you shall be able to return anytime you wish," Aslan explained to her.

"They need you, and you need them. I won't take them away from you again. I am giving you the choice," he added.

Airies took in a deep breath before standing up, and looking towards Caspian. He walked over to her and placed his hands on both of her arms.

"Go to them. Aslan is right, as he always is. You all need each other," Caspian told her.

Airies reached up and rested her hand against his cheek.

"But who will comfort you this time?" she asked him with a smile.

"Hopefully Liliandil. I'm going to find her again," he answered, sending her a smile of his own.

"I will miss you," she told him, and he pulled her into a hug.

"And I will miss you, which is why you must use your powers to come back and visit every once in a while. I still need your guidance, seeing as I am a rookie king," Caspian laughed.

"That is true. Thank you," she whispered before reaching up and planting a kiss against his lips.

"For everything," she added after pulling away.

Airies then walked over to Aslan, and wrapped her arms around him.

"My daughter, I love you. Be safe in that world," Aslan told her.

"I love you too, father. Of course I'll be safe. You'll be watching over me there too," she whispered before straightening up, allowing Aslan to roar at the waves again.

They parted for her, and before she stepped into them she knelt down to the ground, letting her hand rest upon the sand. She closed her eyes, taking in all of Narnia so that she could remember it always, and then Airies straightened up and stepped to the waves.

"I will always be with you both," she called out before the waves swallowed her up and she was sent to be with Peter.

After the waves closed around her, Airies was sent tumbling through them, and then out of nowhere she was soaring through the air, and then suddenly it all stopped, almost as quickly as it all started. She landed with a loud crash on something wooden, and hard, and when she opened her eyes she realized that she had landed on a coffee table, bringing down with it a lamp and the magazines that were sitting on top of it.

She stood up, wiping herself off, and looked around at her surroundings. She seemed to be standing in the middle of a living room in a small cottage.

"What the bloody hell was that?" a voice said from the next room, and seconds later she could hear two pairs of feet running towards her.

Airies made to grab at the sword that had been resting against her hip moments before, only to find that it was no longer there; she was unarmed in a stranger's house.

The footsteps were getting closer, and then they stopped as two people entered the room, and then stood still in the doorway.

"Airies?" they both asked, and she could now see that it was Peter Pevencie and Professor Digory Kirke staring at her.

"Peter," she sighed, running up to him.

"What… how… you're here!" he spluttered, holding her tight to his body, completely confused as to how she could be standing in front of him now, but also incredibly happy at the same time.

For the first time in a year he felt complete, now that she was with him, and she felt the same way.

"Aslan told me I could come back, to be with you. He granted me the only thing I've ever wished for," she cried, tears falling out of both of their eyes.

"You're here to stay?" he asked, kissing the top of her head.

"I'm here to stay with you, forever, so that we may be able to keep our promises," she said to him, before capturing his lips with hers.

"I love you so much," he whispered against her lips.

"Oh, Peter, I love you more than you can imagine. And we can finally be together now," she whispered back, feeling the happiest she had been in the past three years.

* * *

_**Author's Note:**__ Well, that was the second to last chapter. There will be one more after this. Hopefully everyone liked this one, and the ending that came along with it. I figured it was about time to let Airies and Peter finally be together. They've struggled enough. Let me know what you think, please and thank you :)_

_And as always, thank you, thank you, thank you for reading!_


	11. Epilogue

Edmund, Lucy and Susan Pevencie sat in the living room at their home in Finchley. They talked of Narnia of course, and each told their stories of what adventures they had been on during their holiday.

Susan had a grand time in America with their parents. She had been courted by many men, and taken to many balls, but she also added that none of the men were at all living up to her expectations, expectations that she had never known she had until she met Caspian.

And Edmund and Lucy told her of their adventures in Narnia with Eustace, and how Eustace was no longer a nuisance to be around.

But the most exciting news of all was that Peter was coming home from studying with Professor Kirke today, and the four kings and queens of Narnia would finally be reunited with one another. The High King was returning home at last, and his three siblings felt just like they did in Narnia whenever Peter traveled to battle alone. They were nervous, but excited to see their brother safely home.

"I can't wait to see what his surprise is," Susan said, sounding both joyful and ecstatic to have her brother home at last. In his latest letter, he stated that he would be bringing home a surprise for all of them. And each of them had taken turns guessing what the surprise could possibly be.

"When do you think he'll-" Lucy began, but she was cut off by the sound of a door opening in the kitchen two rooms down, and two voices shouting out, "Peter!"

They could hear the many sounds of "Welcome home, son!" and "We missed you so much!" being said beside them.

And then they could hear their mother say, "They're in the next room waiting for you. They're excited for your homecoming."

Excited was an understatement. They were practically itching with the anticipation of seeing their oldest brother again.

And finally, after what seemed like a decade to them, Peter was entering the living room. Edmund was the first to reach him, and he tossed his arms around his brother, and they held each other tight.

"Welcome home, High King," Edmund whispered, and Peter hugged him even tighter.

Then, Susan and Lucy joined in and there were hugs and kisses and tears sent all around.

What stopped them from breaking into a full on celebration party, however, was the sound of voices in the kitchen. Their parents were talking to someone.

"Who are mum and dad talking to?" Lucy asked, and Peter's face lit up.

"Oh, you're surprise. You'll see, they're coming now. Let's sit, shall we?" Peter asked, leading the way over to the couches and chairs.

His brother and sisters followed his lead and took seats next to him, waiting for their parents to come in.

And finally they did, and someone was standing in between them, glowing with happiness.

It was all the Pevencie children, minus Peter, could do to stop their jaws from dropping open to the floor.

Airies, the Daughter of Aslan, High Queen over all kings and queens in Narnia, was standing in between Mr. and Mrs. Pevencie, smiling around at them.

Peter stood up and walked over to Airies, practically forgetting that anyone was in the room with him and took her in his arms, kissing her gently. Then he turned to face his siblings and said, "You all remember Airies, right? She lived next door to Professor Kirke when we stayed with him two years ago."

Of course, they couldn't show their parents that they knew Airies as well as they did, because then they would get to questioning and of course they couldn't tell their parents about Narnia, so they all just nodded and said, "Yes, we remember."

"Peter explained to us that he and Airies met up over the holiday, and it just escalated from there," Mr. Pevencie told his children.

"We're preparing a great feast for dinner for Peter's return, and for the fact that he brought a guest. Dinner will be at seven. Now I think you all should get reacquainted, don't you agree?" Mrs. Pevencie said, and the children all raced up to Lucy's room.

Once they were there, each of them attacked Airies in a hug, with cries of "How can this be?" echoing throughout the room.

"If you'll all calm down, I can explain," she said with a laugh, but she was just as happy to be back with this family as they were to have her with them.

So they all settled down on the floor of the bedroom in a circle, holding hands, because they were all afraid to let each other ago. It was almost like they were living in a dream, because they were all together, and it had been a while since the five of them had been together in peace.

And after they were all comfortable, Airies explained to them what Aslan had told her after Edmund, Lucy and Eustace were swallowed up by the waves.

"Aslan knew that I would never be fully happen until I was with all of you again," she told them, grabbing onto Peter's hand, who was sitting on her right, and Edmund's hand who was sitting on her left.

"I love you all, so very much, you are my family. And we Narnians don't let our family walk away from us," she said to them, and then there was more hugging and kissing all around.

"Well, we're happy to have you home with us at last," Susan told her truthfully, and Airies smiled in return.

Like they always did when they were together, they passed the time until dinner by talking about all of their adventures in Narnia. They reminisced about their times in the Golden Age. Airies told them about how they defeated Dark Island, and Edmund and Lucy launched into the story of how Eustace had changed from a snotty rich boy to a boy with feelings and care for others.

"And then we met Liliandil at Ramandu's Island. She was beautiful. Caspian was in awe," Lucy told them, laughing at the memory of Caspian's face when his eyes landed on the beautiful star.

"Was Edmund in awe as well?" Susan laughed, ruffling her younger brothers' hair, but Airies and Lucy shook their heads.

"He wasn't at all fazed by her!" Lucy exclaimed.

"I had all the beauty I needed," Edmund responded quietly, glancing at Airies and then looking away.

"Well, I understand you there, Ed," Peter laughed, leaning over Airies and shoving his brother playfully.

Airies, of course, had told Peter about what happened between her and Edmund during their voyage. She couldn't lie to him, and pretend that nothing ever happened. She contemplated not telling him at all, but somehow Airies knew that Peter would understand, and understand he did. And at first, Peter was upset, but after a while, they talked it over, and strangely… he understood. He always knew that Airies loved both him and Edmund, and he didn't blame her. His younger brother was definitely something. But he also knew that she would always choose him, Peter, because what they had defied all odds. They were meant to be. And he couldn't blame Edmund, either, nor was he mad. Peter knew that if it was the other way around, it would be very hard for him to keep away from Airies as well.

"Children, supper!" their mothers voice called out, and Peter took Lucy and Susan by the shoulders and led them out of the room.

Airies took Edmund's hand in hers and swung them back and forth through the air, a comfortable move for the two of them.

"It's good to have you home," he whispered to her.

"And it's really good to be home, Ed," she whispered back before kissing his cheek.

Peter then came back to them and asked Edmund, "Mind if I cut in?" with a laugh and a smile, and Edmund laughed with him, shaking his head.

"Not at all, my king, she is all yours."

But before he left, Edmund stooped down and kissed Airies hand, before letting it drop between them and he walked into the dining room, taking his seat between Susan and Lucy.

Peter then picked her hand back up, and pulled her to him again, wrapping his arms around her waist, and she slithered her arms around his neck.

He kissed her gently before saying, "I love you," against her lips.

She smiled up at him. "I love you too, forever."

"And we really do have forever now. We'll never have to be separated again," he told her.

"That's what I'm most looking forward to," she responded, a twinkle in her eye, and then Peter led her into the dining room, where the entire family joked and laughed together like old friends.

"It seems as if you all know each other better than I thought," Mrs. Pevencie laughed.

Airies smiled and said, "We have a whole world in common," earning a bunch of knowing looks from Peter, Susan, Edmund and Lucy.

"What else do you need in order to become friends?" Lucy added, and they all laughed and agreed with her.

A whole world indeed. And they would always have that world, their Narnian world. They talked of it frequently, even when Eustace would come to visit they would speak of it. And they often visited with Professor Kirke and his good friend Polly, and they discussed Narnia with them as well.

Though they were no longer allowed to return to Narnia, that world never left their mind. It kept then together, and made them stronger, and in that way they were always there, and it would always be a part of them.

For once a king or queen of Narnia, always a king or queen, and that would never change.

* * *

_**Author's Note:**__ Well, that's the end of their journey. Like it? Hate it? Please let me know either way. I love reviews :) I don't know if I'm going to continue writing about Airies and Peter. I want to, but I'm not sure as to where to take it from here. If anyone has suggestions, wants me to continue with their story, or anything like that, please let me know. I'm open to anything._

_A special thanks to everyone who reviewed, and added this story to their favorites, and alerts, and thank you to everyone who keeps doing so. You guys keep me going :)_

_As always, thank you for reading, and sticking with me throughout this whole story. I really appreciate it :)_


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